#this year i definitely got more comfortable w digital art

[freys-art]

my 2022 art year in review babyyyyyyy

[hornime]

watch and learn | iwaizumi hajime x f!reader x team japan

there were two things they all had in common: the growing bulges in their pants that they were urgently trying to distract themselves from, and the fact that their full attention was on you.

warnings: 18+, timeskip!everyone, BIG MANGA SPOILERS BASICALLY, exhibitionism, voyeurism, orgasm denial

w/c: 3.1k

a/n: now i don’t know if iwaizumi hajime (27) athletic trainer learned about female orgasms when he was studying sports science at irvine BUT he def knows how to show a girl a good time which is reason enough for me to write this. also, i read this article to prep for this piece and it was super enlightening, so i do recommend giving it a read if you’re interested!

in the middle of his morning run, iwaizumi slowed momentarily to check the repetitive buzzing of this phone, curious as to who was messaging him this early. when he’d left the apartment, you were sleeping, and you had the tendency to still be sleeping by the time he returned, so who else could it be?

he unlocked his phone, quickly finding the source of the notifications: the team japan group chat.

[06:43 AM] miya: hey @iwaizumi—you know stuff abt the human body right?

[06:43 AM] miya: cus like you studied it in college and shit??

iwaizumi rolled his eyes. i spent four years in america to earn my degree, came back home to support my country’s olympic team, and dealt with the biggest idiots of volleyball, only to get treated like this?

[06:44 AM] iwaizumi: yes, miya. i took many courses on the human body. in fact that’s the purpose of my job. to know the human body. because i am a fucking athletic trainer.

[06:44 AM] miya: okay okay i get it. dumb question

[06:44 AM] iwaizumi: why? is something up? you need help or anything?

[06:44 AM] miya: uhhh kinda

[06:44 AM] miya: @hinata i’m not fucking asking this

[06:44 AM] bokuto: bro just do it

[06:44 AM] miya: @hinata @hinata @hinata 

iwaizumi cocked an eyebrow. what the hell are they going on about?

[06:45 AM] iwaizumi: so am i needed or...

[06:45 AM] hinata: YES

[06:45 AM] hinata: we had a question

[06:46 AM] sakusa: by “we” he means him, miya, and bokuto

[06:46 AM] suna: yeah don’t bring us into this

[06:46 AM] hinata: don’t listen to them! both suna and sakusa wanna know too

[06:46 AM] iwaizumi: okay. what’s up

[06:47 AM] hinata: we wanted to know how to make a girl cum

he chuckled in disbelief.

[06:47 AM] iwaizumi: you’re telling me that you guys are in your mid-20s, literal olympic athletes, and you don’t know how to make a girl cum

[06:47 AM] iwaizumi: have you never done it before??

[06:47 AM] miya: NO

[06:47 AM] miya: FOR THE RECORD IVE MADE MANY GIRLS CUM

[06:48 AM] bokuto: ME TOO

[06:48 AM] bokuto: i think

he laughed out loud, briefly startling another runner on the sidewalk.

[06:48 AM] iwaizumi: you guys are unbelievable

[06:48 AM] hinata: i mean she says she finished but idk what i did to make that happen

[06:48 AM] bokuto: ^^

[06:48 AM] hinata: so like i wanna know how to actually do it

[06:48 AM] suna: actually im kinda interested in this too

[06:48 AM] aran: i pray for your future girlfriends. this is painful to see. im out

[06:48 AM] kageyama: i’m with aran on this one. you guys are dumb

[06:48 AM] hinata: shut up. you suck.

[06:48 AM] miya: cmon iwaizumi, help a guy out

[06:48 AM] sakusa: it wouldnt hurt for you to give us some pointers at least

iwaizumi sighed.

[06:49 AM] iwaizumi: @miya @hinata @bokuto @suna @sakusa meet in the locker room after practice. ill give you guys a lesson in the art of pleasing a woman

to teach effectively, he needed a volunteer, though he was sure you wouldn’t need much convincing. you’d always loved the attention, and the biceps, of the pro athletes. he spun on his heel and jogged home.

you woke up to the sound of your apartment door opening, your boyfriend creeping inside, forehead damp with sweat.

“hey,” you said quietly, making your way towards him.

“hey, baby. sorry for waking you up, i was trying to be quiet.”

you giggled sleepily. “s’okay, haji. you spoil me too much anyway, always letting me sleep in for hours while you’re off doing god knows what.”

at that, his eyes crinkled in amusement, and as you tried to step into a hug, he shuffled back. “woah there, baby. i gotta shower, ‘m all gross from my run. and then,” he gave you a peculiar look that you couldn’t quite place, “i got a proposition for you.”

after his shower, he waltzed out of the bathroom, steam wafting out from behind the door. his tanned body made you feel things you definitely shouldn’t be barely an hour after the sun’s risen, and you reached out to massage the tension in his shoulders. “so, what’s your proposition?”

“well,” he hesitated. “it’s a bit... unconventional. the team asked me to show them how to make a girl cum,” he took in your intrigued expression. “and it’d be a lot easier to explain if i had someone to do a live demonstration with. so,” his eyes flicked up to you. “that’s where you’d come in.”

“a... live demonstration? like you’re gonna make me cum in front of them?”

“yeah, essentially.” he gave you a devilish grin. “you want that, baby? wanna show those boys how a real man treats a gorgeous woman like you?”

you rubbed your thighs at his words. “yeah,” you purred. “i do. wanna show them how good you are to me.”

and that’s how you found yourself nestled between iwaizumi’s muscled thighs, back pressed against his chest, completely naked, with five of japan’s best volleyball players staring at your body in awe.

practically an expert in his field, iwaizumi knew the human body inside and out. this had many benefits; of course it allowed him to catapult up the ranks and work with the country’s best athletes to keep them at the top of their game, but it also had a unique side effect: an overwhelming vault of knowledge on how to make a woman feel good anywhere. 

you’d seen the proof firsthand; he knew exactly where to push, prod, stroke, and tease to have you cumming in seconds, over and over, as many times as you wanted. he was amazing, and you were well-aware just how lucky you were to have such a talented man in the sheets.

“oi,” iwaizumi snapped his fingers, drawing each of the players’ eyes away from your glistening cunt. “pay attention. i know more than anybody that she’s hot as fuck, but you gotta listen to what i’m saying or else there’s no point to this.”

he lightly pressed his lips against your collarbone, slowly tracing them against your jaw, the contact making you squirm. “if you wanna make a girl cum, first thing you gotta do is make her comfortable. if she’s worried about how she looks or sounds or smells she’s gonna be too stressed to let go.” he moved his hands to grope your tits, his calloused fingers brushing over your hardening nipples. “so reassure her, tell her how irresistible she is, how pretty her moans are, how tasty her pussy is. shit like that. the sexier she feels the better it’ll be.”

he leaned into you, whispering into your ear. “feeling good, baby? we can stop whenever.”

you nodded weakly, afraid to open your mouth, barely holding in your whines as his palms worked wonders on your chest and stomach, sending shocks of heat wherever they touched. 

you craned your neck up to observe the men before you. atsumu was flushed red, wringing his hands as if he was worried they’d do something embarrassing if he didn’t keep them occupied. hinata was bouncing his leg up and down, wiping his palms on his shorts as he took in the plushness of your thighs. bokuto was basically drooling, greedily tracing your soft curves with his eyes. suna maintained his indifferent expression, but the reddening tips of his ears showed that he was a lot more hot and bothered than he let on. sakusa stood quietly to the side, leaning against the wall, mask tucked under his chin as if he’d just realized how much the temperature had gone up in the room.

there were two things they all had in common: the growing bulges in their pants that they were urgently trying to distract themselves from, and the fact that their full attention was on you.

"make sure to try different things; there’s multiple ways to make a woman cum. only like a quarter of women experience orgasms just from penetration,” someone made a sound of shock. “yes, the number is that small, bokuto.” 

his fingertip slowly trailed past your belly button, dipping into the mess between your thighs, causing you to slightly arch your back into the solid chest supporting you. “foreplay with the clit is your best bet; even stupid fucks like you probably wouldn’t screw it up too bad.”

hinata opened his mouth to speak, but iwaizumi anticipated his question and continued.

“i know you’re wondering where the clit is. it’s around here, under this hood of skin,” he slid his digit between your labia. “s’not gonna come with a label so you gotta explore a little bit. i know where hers is like the back of my hand, but for you guys, with your girls, you’re gonna have to move your fingers around. slowly. and pay attention to her expressions.” he began to rub in a circular motion around your clit, causing you to make small whimpers of pleasure and shift your hips to meet his movements. 

“if she clenches up or twitches when you feel a certain spot, like this,” your legs flexed as he increased the pressure, “that’s the clit. be kind, it’s not a volleyball. be gentle n’ make small circles, whether it’s with your fingers or your tongue.” 

he thought for a second. “speaking of which, oral’s important. very important. most women cum when they’ve been eaten out, so use your mouths for something more useful than just dirty talk. suck on the clit, maybe tongue-fuck her a ‘lil, but your main focus should always be the clit.”

he removed his hands from your sopping pussy, and you made a pathetic noise of frustration. “’m sorry, baby,” he muttered seductively in your ear. “don’t wanna have you finishing too early. lesson’s barely started.”

he turned his attention back to your audience, his lustful tone being replaced by a more instructional one. “there’s other places that’ll help a woman orgasm, too: her nipples, her neck, her ears—”

“her ears?” sakusa questioned. he blushed profusely as everyone turned to look at him, surprised that he’d opened his mouth. “what? we were all thinking it.”

“s’a valid question,” iwaizumi said. “yeah, you can lick ‘em if they’re sensitive. hers are.” as if to prove his statement, he licked a stripe on the shell of you ear, making you wiggle helplessly at the stimulation. “‘n leave kisses everywhere else. feels good for them just like it does for us.” he wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you closer to him and forcing your movements to stop as he traced patterns with his tongue all around your neck.

“something you should know about an orgasm is that it’s something called a positive feedback loop.” he looked up and was met with five blank stares. shouldn’t have expected anything from these dumb jocks, he lamented. “basically that means that, once you start releasing sexual tension, things will feel better and better until you climax.”

“oh!” atsumu chirped. “like how my sets get better and better throughout a game.”

“no, not really,” he quipped. “your sets suck throughout.” atsumu frowned at that.

iwaizumi exhaled exasperatedly. “the general idea is that the body gets more and more sensitive, muscle contractions become more and more frequent, and touches feel more and more stimulating until you cum. all right?”

they all made noises of understanding except for bokuto and hinata, whose eyes had glazed over at the first mention of an academic term. whatever, iwaizumi thought. they’ll get it through example.

"don’t worry about it too much if you don’t get it, that’s just an orgasm on paper. in practice, though, this is the crucial step: listen to her. she knows what feels good. never forget that you’re just an idiot with a cock.” he took a breath, gathering his thoughts before proceeding with his lecture.

“if she tells you to slow down, you slow down. if she tells you to go harder, you go harder. if she tells you to keep doing what you’re doing, you...”

“keep doing what you’re doing”, they all chimed in at staggered times.

“that’s right. don’t go faster or else you’ll mess up the rhythm and she won’t cum. and you wanna make her cum, don’t you?”

they nodded simultaneously.

“so if you keep up the tempo and force that feels good to her, you’ll be fine. questions?”

suna spoke up. “what about,” he choked on the word. “penetration?”

hinata hummed in agreement and bokuto jumped in. “yeah, what if i wanna make her cum on my cock?”

iwaizumi made a weird face. “that’s some pretty advanced stuff, but i guess i can go over it. when you try it, though, you have to be patient. with both of your bodies. s’not rocket science but s’not always easy. also it depends on the woman but sometimes she physically won’t be able to finish from penetration alone. just make sure you’re communicating.”

his swirled two fingers over your hole before shoving them in, your wetness making it easy for him to thrust in and out as your entrance stretched to accommodate him. “f—fuck!” your eyes flew open at the intrusion and you body lurched forward, but you were held back by his strong forearm. “ohmygod, oh my g—ah! feels s’good haji, s’good!”

“i know, baby, i know. you’re taking it so well.” he turned his attention back to the men, each of who were gulping heavily. if that didn’t signal to you that they were evidently affected by your moans, the way they shifted in their workout shorts did.

“boys, focus.” he curled his fingertips, brushing at the spongy spot at the top of your walls, ripping a pleasured wail from your throat and causing tears to prick at your eyelashes. “when you’re fingering her, you’ll feel an area inside that’s a bit soft and squishy. that’s the g-spot.”

you trembled in his arms as he mercilessly struck the same place over and over again with his fingers. “when you’re fucking her, try to keep the pressure building there, but it’ll be harder to make her finish since you can’t see what you’re doing.”

your breath hitched as iwaizumi’s incessant movements brought your body tantalizingly close to your release. he suddenly stopped and you almost sobbed in disappointment, until he plunged his fingers impossibly deeper.

a guttural scream of ecstasy came from within you, and your eyes rolled back as he began playing with another part of you, your body putty in his hands. “hngh, haji, ah! so good, s’good...” you threw your hands back around his neck, nails digging into the skin as you desperately tried to keep yourself grounded. your soft moans filled the air.

“stop clenching,” he hissed. “can barely move my hand.” you tried to relax but failed miserably as the tips of his fingers grazed your cervix. 

“holy fuck,” suna muttered. “you’re a god.”

“she sounds so pretty,” atsumu said in amazement.

“i wanna make a girl feel good like that, too!” bokuto sulked.

“you can do it, bokuto!” hinata hit him on the arm. “just listen to iwaizumi. clearly he knows what he’s talking about.” 

their eyes refocused on your figure, writhing in pleasure, prompting white hot waves of arousal to pool in their stomachs. 

“yeah,” sakusa said. “clearly.”

“stop talking,” iwaizumi ordered. “and listen. beyond the g-spot is the cervix, which is basically the end of the vagina. if you’re long enough,” he briefly scanned each of their faces, “which i’m sure you are, you’ll be able to reach it if you bottom out.”

“haji—hajime, please.” the stimulation was coming absolutely unbearable, and you could tell he was sadistically holding you at the edge, refusing to give you the satisfaction of finishing. “lemme cum, please. please lemme cum, please, please, i can’t—i can’t take it ‘nymore!”

“what was that? you can’t take it anymore? gonna cum?” you helplessly bobbed your head up and down, hoping that he’d give you permission. “well,” he growled, “we can’t have that happening, can we?”

he abruptly halted his thrusts, pulling his fingers out of you with an embarrassing squelch and popping them into his mouth. pearly tears rolled down your cheeks as you grieved the loss of contact and relief.

your viewers looked on in horror, feeling immense sympathy for you; you just looked so dejected from being denied yet another orgasm.

“why didn’t you—why didn’t you let her cum?” bokuto asked.

“why do you think?” iwaizumi snapped. “don’t want you guys to see her when she does. that’s for me, and only me.”

“oh, okay,” he responded, disgruntlement clear in his voice.

iwaizumi’s glare could cut glass, it was so sharp. the possessiveness that had enveloped his mind made him hyperfocus on just one thought: being alone with you. “so, any other questions? if not, we’re done here.”

you pouted at that, not wanting the demonstration to be over. “but haji,” you mumbled into his collarbone. “i di’nt get to cum. and i wanna.” you looked up at him, eyes wide with want. “please make me cum.”

iwaizumi sent a harsh glance to the players that nonverbally communicated his message loud and clear: get out. they shuffled awkwardly out of the locker room due to the hardness between their legs that they would most definitely need to deal with soon.

your boyfriend turned his attention back to you. “’m sorry, i know i had to deny you a bunch of times. i just really hated the idea of anyone but me seeing the cute way you look when you cum.”

you made a small noise of acknowledgement and a little whisper of it’s okay, haji. he looked down, sensing the way your poor, desperate cunt was pulsing around nothing, the erotic sight injecting him with the pure need to ravage you.

he shifted his head to kiss you passionately. “why don’t i make it up to you?” he breathed between your parted lips before picking you up by the backs of your thighs, forcing you to lock your ankles around his waist. 

he delicately situated you onto one of the recovery beds at the back of the room, before murmuring something that made your pussy throb in anticipation: “i’ll make you cum whichever way you want, however many times you want, all right? all you gotta do is lay back and take it.”

© property of hornime 2021. do not plagiarize any of my writing and do not repost/copy my writing onto any other sites.

[hee-blee-art]

your one of a lot of artist that inspired me to try digital again but bro do you have any advice digital is so hard im dyin lol

oh hell yeah I feel the best thing like I can do as an artist is encourage other people to make art! the world needs more art!! if you see this and want to make art plz do

as for advice, my digital methods r a bit unconventional bc my nd brain has kept me using the same free app for digital art for abt 8 years, but I think that's taught me that you def don't need specific/expensive equipment or programs to do digital art! dedicated drawing tablets and photoshop/illustrator/etc do have benefits and r better for certain ppl but you can make digital art on literally any screen you've got, I've used a variety of super cheap tablets over the years as well as my phone and laptop trackpad to draw. it's rlly just about taking what you have and finding something comfortable for you

something I would very much encourage ppl starting out/trying to get into digital art to do is to fool around in ms paint! I absolutely love ms paint, and since getting back to using it and just doodling and having fun and not caring so much about being precise or on model or w/e my art has improved overall and I have a lot more fun creating which I think is important. that same sort of mindset is really helpful for art in general; no matter what kind of art you wanna make, I think it can be very helpful to find an outlet to be experimental/loose/silly and just have fun in

one bit of real advice I'd give to to take frequent breaks to stand up and move around, stretch your arms and hands (there are tutorials specifically for digital artists u can look up), and try to actively make good posture habits, bc those things definitely r good for u & by extension yr art (if you're nd like me and hyperfocus it can help to set alarms/timers for stretching/etc)

not sure if that's what you were looking for but I hope that helps in some way! all the best to u and yrs, I rlly hope to encounter some of yr digital art!

[anikkis-fantasirealities]

“Finding the Captivating Dialogue for You”

④ How-to-do Feature ┊ ᴬˡˡ ᵒᶠ ᵃⁿ ᵃⁿᵉᶜᵈᵒᵗᵉ ˢᵒ ᵃʳᶦᵈ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵃˡˡᵘʳᶦⁿᵍ ᵃᵗ ᵒⁿᶜᵉ··· ᶜᵃⁿ ᵇᵉᶜᵒᵐᵉ ᵃ ᶜᵒᵐᶦᶜ ᶜᵃᵖᵗᵘʳᶦⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵉ ᶜᵒʳᵉˢ ᵒᶠ ᶜᵒˡᵒʳᵉᵈ ᶜᵒʳⁿᵉᵃˢ·

꒰⁺˚₊·₍₍loading...₎₎ ✎...۪۫❁ཻུ۪۪ -ˏˋ 🃏 ˊˎ-

༘✶ ㊉ ㈦〘 ⅯⅯ 〙⋆｡˚𓆟 ༉ ║ Posted : ０６/１５/２１° ｡༄ ‧₊˚ ๑ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ •ଓ.° ｡❍ ㈩ ㊇

- - ——— ꒰ An article by Nicole “Nikki” Elaine S. Chua ꒱

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ₊·͟͟͟͟͟͟͞͞͞͞͞͞➳❥ ࿐ྂ—͙❬₊° ᶦ ᵃᵐ ᵃ ᵇˡᵒᵍᵍᵉʳ ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵃˡˡ·“= ‹⸙͎

Cure your boredom by finding something new! Enter the world of art and stories combined! Find the story to obsess over, only here on WEBTOON! Hold on, let me just shake out all the interpretative literary devices I had from my previous articles... There, much better! Welcome back to your favorite bunny—Nikki’s Tumblr blog! It feels a bit different here compared to when I am on Amino, to be honest. Yes, when I formally write without too many literary devices, my blogs smoothen like this, like it was polished with sandpaper or something. Anyway, I loosen up in order to display my love for something I’d like to offer to this world—one of those precious gems that have not been excavated in the realm of fandoms. Today, in this article, let’s enter the world of Webtoons and figure out 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙒𝙀𝘽𝙏𝙊𝙊𝙉 (𝙇𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙒𝙚𝙗𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙨) 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧!

Oh, hold on your horses! You’re asking what do I mean by Line Webtoons? My apologies for not explaining that before I bring you along this own carpet ride. To begin with this sudden class session, webtoons are webcomics that have a vertical reading format. In Korea, “manhwa” is often something you’d hear when the locals there refer to comics. These webtoons originated from South Korea, and now, they are rebranded by different companies with their hit titles. One of those brands is Naver Webtoon, and internationally, it is known as Line Webtoons. In 2019, it has now become WEBTOON, for short! Korean webtoons that are from Naver Webtoon have been officially translated into English, Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, Thai, Spanish, French, and German languages in the present. At the same time, all these countries of the world wide web get to also be webtoon creators, too!

Comics are a mix of art and writing in multiple panels. Though unlike those readable from right to left, or the complete opposite of that, webtoons take advantage of vertical scrolling to reveal shocking key plot points and add more aesthetic in the blooming & stunning art they provide to the audience. They don’t upload once a month or year—in WEBTOON, there’s always something to read daily! Most WEBTOON series upload once a week, depending on its creator. As a reader, you’ll surely enjoy the vast options of webtoons to choose from reading at your own pace. There are many interesting genres, art styles, character designs, pairings, story lines, and themes to look forward to. The best part is, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚! There’s a perfect story to dwell into for all kinds of people, so if you’re curious in knowing how to begin reading, let’s go ahead and jump into the app!

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ╔═━─────────━▒ ۞ ▒━─────────━═╗

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ╚═━─────────━▒ ۞ ▒━─────────━═╝

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓵: 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗘𝗕𝗧𝗢𝗢𝗡 𝗮𝗽𝗽 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗘𝗕𝗧𝗢𝗢𝗡 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲.

The first step to get started with WEBTOON is approaching its services, first! You If you haven’t encountered WEBTOON yet, you could either take a little peak behind its digital pages online. I recommend downloading the app to enjoy the WEBTOON experience to the maximum level. If your first language is not English, perhaps a more comfortable version of the app made for your location fortunately exists! Search for WEBTOON on the playstore, and you will spot the application in a flash. It is only 21 MB or megabytes big, so it is not painful to the phone storage.

However, if you want to save space, you can always take the other route and access the WEBTOON site here. You can search for WEBTOON on your device’s browser, and the link you see immediately will lead you to the destination you desire to land onto. The site is mostly used by personal computer users and those who cannot download the app. It functions the same way as the app, but not all the features, events, and other cool activities can be done here. So, I still suggest to head over to your device’s playstore to get the application!

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓶: 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻-𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗘𝗕𝗧𝗢𝗢𝗡 𝗮𝗽𝗽.

Any app would instruct the user to create an account to use its services. For WEBTOON though, this is very worth it, for it gives you a chance to use your account to comment on WEBTOON episodes you adore, or subscribe to the series you want to follow and support. You can create an account using your email address and the password to access it personally. Just the same as any other process in signing-up for an account, you will type your own username. You could also your very own Facebook, Twitter, Google, or LINE account to enter, and your name on the site you’ve chosen to log-on with will become your name on WEBTOON.

It is editable, so don’t worry if your username so happened to be humiliating, and you absolutely must change it! Though, if you don’t want to create an account just yet, users can view webtoons with a press of a finger without signing up for anything, if you’d press the return key on your phone or if you’re browsing on the site. Once you submit your approval that you’ve read and understood the Terms of Use & Privacy Policy of WEBTOON, you can finally set foot on the real fun of webtoons!

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ╔═━─────────━▒ ۞ ▒━─────────━═╗

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ╚═━─────────━▒ ۞ ▒━─────────━═╝

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓷: 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀” 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲.

Okay, do not get confused! We’ll get to the rest of the areas of the app in a little bit! There’s a lot of things to do, now that we’ve finally arrived on WEBTOON platform itself. Though before being hyped at the things you are seeing right now, I’d like you to scroll down to the bottom of this “For You” section, and dig up the “Find your series” questionnaire to answer it. This is so that you can have an idea of what to expect here on WEBTOON, as well as what to read first. This is a questionnaire that will also introduce you to stories that you’d enjoy, without getting totally overwhelmed with content to stretch out into. No pressure in choosing, it will not affect how your account is set-up! Don’t worry about the results either. Answer as natural and honest as you can! This step is only applicable to those who are on the WEBTOON application. It is also optional to the reader, specifically if they are already used to reading webcomics and know what to expect.

Once you enter, it’d ask what are the genres you like. There is horror, comedy, thriller, fantasy, drama, romance, superhero, slice of life, action, and sci-fi. To clarify, slice of life does not literally mean a splitted life! It is a genre for stories that showcase the everyday life of a person, that are either relatable or engaging to read about. Choose as many genres as you want—it’s totally fine to check everything, or to choose one specific genre. Then, you can choose which art styles you prefer from the choices you see in front of your screen. Again, don’t worry about picking art styles—this is not a critical survey! Go ahead and pick many art styles you find pleasing to the eye. Then, you’ll get a list of webtoons recommended to you by the WEBTOON management! Easy, right?

You can take note of these titles given to you, or you can press on the webtoons you find interest in, and you will be taken to the webtoon’s contents in a jifty. That’s where you can read the description of the title’s plot, and you can instantly start reading if it strummed your heartstrings. You can continue discovering more stories to read from here, since the freedom is yours. Even so, there are still parts of the application to discuss that may give you an extra hand later on. Stick around this article for more of that, especially when you need an enthusiatic tour guide like me!

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓸: 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀” 𝘁𝗮𝗯.

If you’re still following me, you may exit the questionnaire that you entered into a while ago. Now, if you scroll up, we’re back seeing graphics moving sideways at the front page. Oh, did you something catch your eye there? These graphics that WEBTOON fans usually call as “banners” (or, for me, personally—anyway,) are another way to gain interest in choosing stories to read. Long story short, when I became a WEBTOON reader, my all-time favorite webcomic from WEBTOON was first shown to me on a banner. (A very epic one, too!) Most of the webtoons shown here are in the “Originals” tab! From “For You,” press the Originals tab next. These are the tenths of webtoons that you can also read here on WEBTOON. The image is just one section of that. If you can observe, there are the seven days of the week stated at the top of these webtoons, under the word, “Daily.” You might be asking why is this section called, “Originals.” All these webtoons found under this tab are in partnership with the WEBTOON management, and these stories release new episodes weekly!

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ╔═━─────────━▒ ۞ ▒━─────────━═╗

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ╚═━─────────━▒ ۞ ▒━─────────━═╝

That simply means that the creators of these webtoons are working together with WEBTOON to share their stories with us, and what’s the best thing? They get to tell their stories, while fulfilling their dream full-time job as a paid webcomic creator! Their work is now known as “WEBTOON ORIGINALs,” though before, they used to be “Featured Webtoons.” Everyday, various webtoons of different genres update with new parts to continue the story from where they left off previously, so there’s definitely something to look forward to from Mondays to Sundays. There are also more choices here than those in the questionnaire, so if you weren’t contented with what you got from answering questions, you can also come here to pick out stories. There are also webtoons under “Completed,” and we’ll get to those in a bit. If you’d ask me what I usually do on Originals, I read everything in general, so I never run out of things to read, but I’m more fond of fantasy genres. You can also choose webtoons from all days of the week, so you can keep reading something everyday before going to school or work, or perhaps, when you’re about to sleep.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓹: 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝗖𝗮𝗻𝘃𝗮𝘀” 𝘁𝗮𝗯.

Now, there must be another question in your head. “How are these webcomic creators chosen to be featured, or have their work included under WEBTOON ORIGINALs?” There are a couple of ways, though, we’ll focus on this canvas of ideas for this article. Usually, creators are discovered on the fan submissions area of the application. Yes, you heard me right! If you are someone who loves drawing comics as well, then you can give this opportunity a shot and meet other aspiring creators here on “Canvas!” So, let’s move from the “Originals” tab and head straight into the “Canvas” section. The webtoons here are under the word, “Spotlight.” It’s simply because these webtoons are uploaded by other webcomic creators who are not affiliated by WEBTOON, yet. So, you could say that this is the wider scope of webtoons to look through. The best thing about “Canvas” which used to be “Discover,” is the fact that we can support these writers and/or artists by reading their stories.

WEBTOON is a platform perfect for people to test the waves of being a webcomic creator. At the same time, they are given the chance to gain a community of a readers that you could also be a part of! However, since these webtoons labeled as “CANVAS WEBTOONs,” are not fully paid by WEBTOON, there is no guarantee that they’ll upload episodes every week. They are free to upload on their own running schedule, but in return, they are also free to create any story they like, as long as it follows the WEBTOON guidelines. Just a brief heads-up, you must have a computer or laptop, in order to upload your own webcomic on WEBTOON. For us readers, it’s a big chance for us to find stories we’ll fall in love with—the one that will make us invested and devoted to how the story continues. If you give the CANVAS WEBTOON more support, who knows? You might be a part of their life accomplishment journey to doing what they love for a living. Very heartwarming, I see.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓺: 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗽𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

We’ve already seen all the webtoons that the app has to offer to us. Despite that, there’s a chance that you still don’t know what stories pique the elements you like in a plot. Now that you know that there are more webtoons to search for on the WEBTOON app, you might need a guide or factor to know what’s the best story to try out. This is why the rankings and genre sections exist on the app! You can view the rankings of WEBTOON ORIGINALs and CANVAS WEBTOONs in their respective tabs. For ORIGINALs, you can click on the badge-like icon to the top right, while in CANVAS, you can see the rankings immediately. If you want to see the complete rankings list for CANVAS WEBTOONs, pressing the arrow at the right side of the rankings preview will do the trick! This step is for users who cannot decide based on what gem of a webtoon preview has caught their attention. If you'd like to find out what webtoons are popular overall, or in their corresponding genres, be sure to use this feature to weigh the odds. We are people who are influenced by whatever is loved by many, after all.

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ╔═━─────────━▒ ۞ ▒━─────────━═╗

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ╚═━─────────━▒ ۞ ▒━─────────━═╝

If ten genres weren't enough choices during the questionnaire, well, thankfully there is more to play with! In the genre sections of both types of webtoons on WEBTOON, which you can see alongside the rankings, you can also view webtoons listed under the supernatural, mystery, sports, historical, heartwarming, and informative genres! So, in total, there are 16 genres to step into, and that's a plenty! In that said area, you can tell which genres have the best stories based on how many people read each webtoon. You can also sort these webtoons by interests, likes, or date. Just press the "Genres" button next to the "Daily" or "Spotlight" text on either tabs. The "sorting the webtoons by interests" option would depend on what your account has read, so far. These features are really handy to introduce to you new webtoons to take your eyes on or pay attention to.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓻: 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝗠𝘆” 𝘁𝗮𝗯.

I suppose you've already chosen a webtoon to read, or maybe you're already into collecting webtoon titles to remember reading. Regardless, let's make things a little easier. You'd need your account, first! If you haven't created one yet, head to the log-in page and go back to Step No. 2. Catch up here when you're done, alright? If you’re already here, let me take you a stroll around this “My” tab. This section has list of features that are for the account’s convenience and personalization. It tells you what webtoons episodes have you recently read, downloaded, commented, and unlocked. It also states what webtoons have you subscribed to. Oh, yes, you can do all these things for your favorite stories on WEBTOON! To try that out, go to your chosen webtoon to read. As a reader, you are given the chance to rate the webtoon from 1 to 10—whether it is an ORIGINAL or CANVAS-type. That also makes heads turn away or stare closer at the stories, to see if they are worthy of their time.

Just like how subscriptions work on Youtube or any other platform, subscribing to a webtoon with your account means that you’ll get notifications whenever it uploads. It’s also easier to access subscribed webtoons through the “My” tab, instead of continously searching for your favorite stories all over the application or site as if you’re in a never-ending maze. You can track down the episodes you’ve downloaded for offline use as well, which comes in great situations where wifi is not available. Be aware that downloaded episodes will remain on your account for 30 days only, however. After 30 days, you may download the episodes again. Commenting on episodes can give you interaction with other readers’ ideas—those reactions, arguments, discussions, and, well! You could even talk about romantic pairing wars and all that’s fizzling in the premise of the story. With this section of the app, your account will be able to be fit and active, while it gives access to more parts of WEBTOON—including the possession of fast pass coins to unlock episodes for early reading! Wait a minute. Why must we, and how do we do that?

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ╔═━─────────━▒ ۞ ▒━─────────━═╗

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ╚═━─────────━▒ ۞ ▒━─────────━═╝

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓼: 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁.

Fast pass on WEBTOON allows you to read episodes before they are publicly released. In other words, you can gain early access to your most awaited ORIGINAL WEBTOONs’ episodes, especially when they get on that gripping cliffhanger that makes you want to go crazy with what happens next! The question is, how can we use fast pass? We can do that with coins called, “fast pass coins.” This in-app currency will permit you to avail one fast pass episode every five coins. In order to get coins, however, there is real money transactions involved. Though, do not fret, because you do not need to spend a dime or a single peso over buying fast pass episodes! WEBTOON offers users to gain five or more fast pass coins through events in the app.

These vary from having to log-in in 7 days, or read similarly themed webtoons that are featured per event. It’s free to do, though, they do not come by all the time—events do not run forever, after all. So, take on the challenge when it arrives, and get yourself some fast pass episodes to enjoy! One benefit in taking part in fast pass coins events is reading new stories that you’ve never tried peaking into before, because who knows when will it become your top webtoon choice in the future? Take it for me—one webtoon became my favorite when the first fast pass coins event entitled, “Climb the Tower challenge,” occured. I participated and had climbed 100 episodes, and now here I am chilling with floors and betrayal!

If you haven’t asked, all fast pass coins given to each webtoon will have a part of its value given to the creators of the said stories. In other words, it’s like directly supporting the artists, writers, and creators of the stories you love! This step can only be done to ORIGINAL WEBTOONs. CANVAS WEBTOONs do not have fast pass, though its creators can provide Patreon accounts where fans can donate or give thanks for their eloquent and awesome stories to tell.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓽: 𝗗𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲.

Remember when I mentioned “completed” webtoons prior to this step? It’s interesting that there also webtoons that have ended, so there is a section for WEBTOON ORIGINALs that have ended in the “Originals” tab. Here, you can still binge-read completed webtoons for as many times you want to, and you can also gain a collection of read finished webtoons on your proud wall. The satisfaction is there when you finish a story—but, wait a minute. We are familiar with fast pass, now, what’s up with this daily pass? For some completed webtoons, they are readable with the daily pass feature. This makes a webtoon’s episodes first episode public for reading, but the twist is, to read the next episodes, you must come back everyday to continue. Episodes in the middle until the end of the story are locked, and can only be carried on if you’ve lended a daily pass entry for it to be opened for a limited time. Then, you can access the next episodes in the following days. Tedious as it may be, you could also pay for fast pass coins to read these specific completed webtoons quicker.

However, if your route is free reading, it is also a fulfilling experience to follow a story as if it was still uploading everyday, instead of reading it in one sitting. This is the patience, yet satisfaction, that can be acquired from daily pass. That is also the goal of WEBTOON for implementing such a feature to their application. You don’t have to pay for anything if you don’t want to speed up your time in reading. This step is definitely for you, if you’re already reading ongoing webtoons, but want to find more stories in the completed section. Trust me, the stories we got here with the daily pass feature were real hits back in the day—somehow, the dust on their covers will be swept away when you touch it. It’s worth it, so why not give it a shot? I heard that one completed webtoon here was recently adaptated into an anime, another has been published physically, while the other was given a live-action K-drama on Netflix! Let’s see if you can figure out which stories these are!

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 ⓾: 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗻𝘀!

So, once you’ve found your beloved webtoons, fully invested into them with your account, made use of fast pass, and indulge into daily pass, the only thing left to do to begin on WEBTOON is to stick to it! Keep being a WEBTOON reader, and enjoy as many webtoons as you’d like. As you keep being on the application or site, you will encounter more features of WEBTOON, and maybe, as you stick around, more surprises & stories will be coming your way. There’s the fan translation area to explore, where you can translate the webtoons you’d love to support and be a contributor to its spread to other languages. There are thousands of CANVAS WEBTOONs being promoted in the front page for explorers to uncover reading. Spotlights at the bottom of the front page compile webtoons together, and you’d get to see more webtoons that may be under the spotlighted theme you adore!

You will be a part of this passionate WEBTOON community, and I’d like to thank you if you keep engaging into this craft as a reader. WEBTOON is a group of people who loves comics, and webcomics alike. It’s a place where creators and readers get to connect, at the same time, reach for their dreams. This is where their imaginations sprint wild—the happiness, sadness, anger, fear, worry, doubt, cheer, and excitement at every panel scrolling down your devices. You will be joining along with its growth, as well as all webcomic creators trying out on the platform, that WEBTOON sincerely cares for, wherever or whoever they are. You can witness how its stories will not only become panels and dialogue, but also animation, live-action, physical books, and other media types all around the world.

Do continue finding the captivating dialogue for you in WEBTOON, because for sure, it will become the message you will hold onto for life. Dramatic Nikki aside, thank you very much for reading this article! I had a blast—almost like I was going to be blasted on a rocket ship to Mars, while I was writing this feature. I hope my steps were able to help you get started on WEBTOON, and I’d like to bid you all the best on your personal voyage here. I believe each story of how we became attached to something is very significant, so take this moment to make it a memorable event in your life. Once more, thank you for reading! Come back again in another blog in the unknown future, where my fantasies become realities! A Nikki reminder: don’t just be ordinary when everyone is doing wrong—be unORDINARY, right & just, and continue to climb without holding back!

· * ✫ * ⊹ * ˚ . . 　　· ⋆ * . * . . · . · . * · . · · + . ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤ· ** ˚ . . + 　　· ⋆ * . * . . · . · . *

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ. . + 　· ⋆ * . * . . · . · .˚ ⊹ · * ✧ ⋆ · * . · . · · .. . .

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ· + ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ· * ✫ * ⊹ * ˚

ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ · ** ˚ . . + ㅤㅤ　· ⋆ * . * . . · . · .˚ ⊹ · * ✧

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ⋆ · * . · ㅤㅤ . · · .. . . · + .

ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ. · + . *

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤ ⋆ * . * . .

ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤ . · ·

ㅤㅤ﹙dedication. ﹚ ୨˚୧ ˚ ༘♡.↳ ₊˚‧

This blog is dedicated to you who is like me, and him who is like her. Both webtoon characters that I salute the most—and that beautiful set of panels that has become my lifestory. May you be in work for ten years or five years, I will cherish you, with this shining sword—diamond, ADAMAS.

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ﹋﹋﹌﹌﹌「 🗼 」﹌﹌﹌﹋﹋

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ┊彡 Credits

➥ Cover Edit

➫ WEBTOON app

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ

➥ First Blog Dividers

➫ Soara Academy

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ

➥ The Rest of the Blog Dividers

➫ WEBTOON app

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ

➥ Source of Information

➫ Webtoon Wikipedia page

➫ WEBTOON (Line Webtoon) Wikipedia page

➫ My own knowledge as a WEBTOON reader

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ﹋﹋﹌﹌﹌「 end. 」﹌﹌﹌﹋﹋

...Are you asking me if I wanted to be a WEBTOON ambassador...? Yes, but I have no social media influence. I'm just a small bunny in a burrow who loves talking and helping people get to know more about WEBTOON. Also, thank you for liking this, cheezbot. You're such a cute Tumblr bot, indeed.

ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ⭆ Back to Homepage ⭅

⇦ Previous Blogㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ

[cpeacephoto]

This is kind of a moody post. So if you’re not into long winded, incoherent rants about nothing just enjoy the photos and move on. No one’s blaming you.  

There’s an episode of the TV show Firefly that I think about from time to time. The shows been off the air forever so if for some reason you hate spoilers, this is the only warning I feel socially required to give you.

The show’s premise is a group of sort of rag tag people on a ship out in space. It’s a lot like space cowboys. There’s an old military guy and his former underling acting as the ship captain/owner and 1st officer. The 1st officer’s spouse/pilot, a mechanic, a doctor who’s hiding from the law along with his sister, a hired gun, a preacher, and a professional companion. They take whatever jobs they can moving cargo or passengers to try and make a living. Doesn’t matter if the job is legal or not, so long as it’s not out right morally disgusting. Like they won’t steal medical supplies from those that need it.  

Specifically there’s an episode I think about a lot called Out Of Gas. It is kind of a slow episode but it is also a very heavy episode. In the episode the ship runs into a major malfunction early in the airing. The engine is down. Without the engine they are dead in the water. More importantly without the engine they are out of air. There’s two shuttles attached to the ship, but they themselves have limited range, capacity, and air.

Even if the shuttles could support absolutely everyone they have another very big problem. The ship is their livelihood. Being out in the middle of nowhere means there’s not exactly a lot of reputable people or even law enforcement around. Assuming, anyone comes at all. Should someone find the ship, they’re far more likely to see it as an opportunity for themselves to survive and just scrap it. If someone’s on board, they may be willing to injure, kidnap, or kill that person so they can scrap whatever of value is left on the ship.

So they’re boned. They can’t stay as they’re basically in a stationary coffin. They can’t all go, or there’s good chance there’s nothing to come back to. It’s with that the captain decides he’s going to stay behind. Despite being a little bit of an asshole, he means well. And he does have a moral code. He doesn’t hurt the innocent and he feels responsible to keep his crew alive. When tough decisions need to be made, like taking on risk or making sacrifices, he feels it’s his place. By sending the others off in the shuttles he saves them and gives them the best possible chance to find something better. By staying behind he’s giving his ship the best possible chance that someone will come by and actually help him.

Before everyone leaves he asks the pilot to deploy a communications beacon. There’s just a depth to this action. Space by definition is vast and empty. It’s similar to being on a ship in the middle of the Pacific and throwing a beacon overboard. There’s a very, very slim chance anyone is ever going to hear your beacon. Or if they do that they’ll hear it in time. If someone does hear it, there’s no guarantee that this person will be helpful, or even not malicious.

What that beacon is, is hope. It’s not super high tech, it’s not particularly wonderful. It’s just a small repeating signal. A shot in the dark that maybe, maybe the right person will hear it. Maybe you’ll get lucky enough that at your lowest and most vulnerable point the right person will save the day. But the odds of that happening are so overwhelmingly against you. So in almost desperation you deploy it. The last shred of hope slowly beeping in the dark. “beep……………beep………………beep………….beep……” because what else are you going to do?

I think about that beacon a lot. That against all odds shot in the dark at the hope of being heard by the right person. I talk a lot about my old friend. I always talk positively about them. And I mean every word of it. They have had the biggest effect on my life. And I’m amazingly fortunate that it was a positive one. Despite all the things that have happened in my life, particularly self-inflicted, for better or worse, they are the greatest and most positive effect.

And despite all logic, I do feel connected to them. Whenever I get to see a photo of them it really does just sort of make me feel complete, or normal. Which I usually don’t day to day. And yes sometimes it makes me feel happy too like their art usually does. Knowing they are okay, and safe, and happy even around people I’ve never met brings me a kind of comfort. There have been at least 3 different times I’ve suddenly gotten anxious for no reason and out of the blue started thinking of them only to find out later during that time frame something had happened to them. Like a breakup, or a car flat. I’ve had countless dreams about them, and the worst are the ones that are all too real. So real it takes a moment to figure out it was just a dream and didn’t happen. And they are someone who frankly makes me incredibly nervous, anxious, even scared. Something that when we talked would go away the moment they said hi to me and I knew it was all okay. But since we don’t talk anymore, I just sit there and spin.

I think about the Firefly episode because that beacon. I feel like so much of my life has been spent waiting for someone. Someone who for all I know may never come. Someone who I don’t know if it would be worse if they hate me, or if they’ve just forgotten I even exist. If they honestly don’t care about me anymore. I don’t even hit the radar. The last time I talked to them they said while I wasn’t the only thing bad to ever happen to them, I was by far the worst. And I by far had the largest effect on them. That statement, particularly from them, radiates with me daily. Almost 20 years daily. That they can’t remember why we talked or see what the point in talking to me was.

I think about the beacon because so much of what I do I feel like is just a beacon, that slow beeping in the dark, hoping beyond all hope that they hear it. And that if they did, they’ve be kind. I know the odds are overwhelmingly against me. But I have to put out the beacon. I have to have something that says, “I’m still here” floating out in the vast abyss and darkness. I have to hold on. I don’t know what else to do. I’ve been waiting for so long.

It’s made even harder when I know how to contact them. But I feel like I’m not allowed to. Nothing physically stops me. But I’ve always felt like part of that whole need to wait feeling, was that this all wouldn’t be over until they were ready for it to be over. I couldn’t force the issue. They had to make contact with me first. So I’m just sitting here, putting out beacons into the void. Hoping they’ll hear one of them and make the move I don’t think I’m allowed to break. And complete a cycle that started 20 years ago with a “hello”.

In the episode, the beacon does eventually get heard by someone. That someone is a group of people looking to scrap out the ship and seeing someone is on board, isn’t too particular about killing the captain to do it. With a bullet hole in his side the captain manages to convince his would be killers to vacate the ship AND leave him the part he needs to repair the engine. He’s now alone, not a mechanic, bleeding out, in massive amounts of pain, and running out of air. But if he can endure it, just fucking endure it, repair that engine and call back the shuttles then maybe everyone including himself has a chance. Even if he ends up dying at least when everyone else came back, they’d all have a chance.

I feel like that sometimes. Like I’m alone, and I have to just fucking endure it. If I can just endure it long enough, my friend will be happy. Even if I run out of time at least my friend will be happy. They’ll be safe, and healthy, and hopefully happy. But I’m really hoping that if I endure all of this long enough it’ll be okay. My friend will come back for me. I’ve seen them defend and come back for so many other people. I just know they have to come back for me. Tell me it’s alright now. Tell me to stop being so hard on myself. Ask me how my day is. Let me ask them how their day is. I just have to hold on a little longer…

The captain spends the episode from here on out flash backing to how he got the ship. Why it’s so important to him he’s willing to risk everything for it. And sure enough by the end of the episode he ends up fixing that engine, restoring the air, and calling back the shuttles just in time to pass out. By TV magic the shuttles make it back in time to save him before he completely bleeds out and dies. It’s a happy ending. But for the entire length of the episode it was really about hope, against all odds. And the length one man will go through for a fighting chance.

I think about this episode from time to time.

If you’ve read this far you’re probably wondering about the photos I’m posting. The out of focus shot is a digital portrait I did back in Salt Lake City. The fact it’s a woman in a tank top out of focus is really what spun me out on all of this. The fact it’s intimate, but she’s out of focus, out of reach, is what got me moody and thinking. The lavender was something I found at Pike’s Place market in Seattle. My old friend liked Lavender and I still use lavender scented soaps and air fresheners because of it. The digital shots of the woman with the blue coffee cup go back to a reoccurring theme with me and the idea of comfort. Knowing someone so well you don’t have to wear fancy lingerie or be all dressed to the 9’s. As well as perfectly imperfect. The girl in pink is a set of digital shots taken in my house. A fine example of how I won’t allow myself to have friends, and at this point don’t know how to have friends anymore. The girl in the bear was back in Salt Lake City. The graffiti was something on the back of a building we happened to wonder by. And the last shot is from way back in college. A fellow photo student who was probably the age I am now, and was the wife of a Michigan State Trooper.

[comicteaparty]

April 4th-April 10th, 2020 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble  chat that occurred from April 4th, 2020 to April 10th, 2020.  The chat focused on the following question:

What is something you’ve improved with in regards to writing or comic creation thanks to working on your story?

carcarchu

Oh this one i can answer definitively. it's 100% lineart. forcing myself to have to do lineart for hours everyday is definitely a way to force yourself to get better at it while i still don't like it it's something that i can do now without being scared about it

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

Colouring. I had to get really creative in expressing emotion and hinting plot devices with colour. Also got much better with drawing gesture drawings due to looking at a lot of references!

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Either writing dialogue or drawing/painting backgrounds... I used to be particularly awful at writing dialogue. It was too stiff and formal, and sounded a lot like old prose. Now, because of writing a comic and going through several scripts, the dialogue is a lot more natural, and the pacing is more realistic to actual conversations. And the other: backgrounds. I really used to not even draw them at all, and doing a comic forced me to have to think about environments in scenes. So I went from drawing floating characters to having to consider where they are and how it affects the story/mood.(edited)

Feather J. Fern

Paneling! That was my main focus to figure out how to do good paneling to have clearer pages

Deo101 [Millennium]

Honestly? Everything. It's all gotten better and I've learned so much. I would say my biggest improvement is probably in my time management, and art wise is probably composition and layouts. But it's hard to pick because I've grown so much in every aspect!

chalcara [Nyx+Nyssa]

Biggest thing I learned was to keep the story small and focused - and that the smaller, more human struggles are much better in creating tension than the whole default "the world's gonna end!" thing. Mind you, I still love a good "world's ending" story, but you gotta make people CARE about the people in that world first!

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

ohohohoooo I have done more drawing in photoshop in this short time I have worked on Wayfinders, than the rest of my life! That has given me some skills for sure! Coloring is another one, and generally just efficiency and flow in a comic

Nutty (Court of Roses)

For me it's been my use of color, and getting more confident in experimenting with it to really drive home a scene's mood!

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

The clearest improvement I always notice is my layouts - I’ve gotten more adventurous with panel shapes and placement as time has gone on, experimenting with more interesting designs for the whole page. Some of those experiments haven’t been totally successful but it always feels like a worthwhile try. I’ve gotten some really, REALLY cool layouts out of these experiments, and I love seeing how dynamic the panels have become compared to my first chapter. Also speed. I’m so much faster now. Thank gooooooodness (edited)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

@LadyLazuli (Phantomarine) I've definitely noticed the experimental panel layouts! They're really cool.

AntiBunny

Planning. Book 2 is when I started using sketchbook thumbnails to plan ahead. The luxury of that first draft meant I could rethink panel layouts and how to best express the events happening if I first had an idea of what was happening laid out.

Also digital art by necessity since I switched to digital during the current arc. I was decent at lineart already, but other aspects have really challenged me to grow as an artist. I had to totally rethink the way I create backgrounds for instance. During this time the background quality actually declined a little while I got used to a new method, but experience has improved my skills greatly as I force myself into new methods.

DanitheCarutor

Hmmm maybe paneling, speechbubbles and backgrounds? My current project is my second real attempt at doing a comic, but I have learned a lot of stuff from the community and general art and story tutorials. Backgrounds and bubbles were the worst for me when first starting out, I only read manga before starting so the speechbubble shapes did not fit with how English is written. Plus I've only drawn wooded fantasy settings before making my comic, so using a ruler, figuring out perspective points and drawing buildings was very new to me. I still hate drawing cities and such, but I've gotten a lot better at it and it is easier to do now. Since I mostly stuck with B&W before my current project, coloring also kind of improved? Depending on who's looking at it. Lmao If I were to think about story/characters/dialogue, I have no idea if I've improved. Honestly, I don't pay much attention to the quality. Also my brain kinda says it's all bad regardless of what I make.(edited)

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

For my Improvements: I'm getting better at my comic panels, as I adjust to the vertical style. Before I've always drawn the standard format. It's more than just boxes, I try to keep a variety of sizes. I'm picking up roughly how much 'gutter space' I need per 2-3 panels.etc I'm also improving on choosing colors that fits my love of detailed linework.(edited)

OH! I'm also learning about Clip studio shortcuts, how to use the assets they provide which makes the process, abit easier on me. Things I need to change, is I want to get a good speedy coloring style, without referring to my usual coloring.(edited)

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

the more I worked on the comic, the more I feel ambitious in making different angles and perspective. So it's really hitting me out of my comfort zone which is good! lol Though I'm trying to keep in mind of my speed, what I feel like I've improved a bit is trying to keep in mind of paneling and dialogue.

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

Process! Space and i have definitely figured out the most productive way to produce content at the rate and quality that also provides us with time for our own projects. Comics are a useful tool that helps you discover ways to better organize your creative workflow for sure!

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I think probably scenery. I used to dread drawing inanimate objects but now I feel more confident in filling in a scene & even look forward to it sometimes. Maybe also page composition and paneling but I still have a lot to learn there

eli [a winged tale]

One of the reasons I embarked on the webcomic journey is to push myself to improve not only storytelling but also utilizing art to create a reader experience that would be difficult to replicate with just words. I’d like to think that 9 months into making A Winged Tale, I’ve improved on deciding when is a good opportunity to invest more into backgrounds vs character dynamics and when should be focused more on sequences of panels and composition. While the comic is written in a four panel format, more and more I’m finding areas where the story could be told by breaking those rules (attached pic). It’s a balance and I hope going forward I will improve more in pushing the limits of panels and find ways to express the story in fun and interesting ways.(edited)

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

Wow that's a very good description @eli [a winged tale] I look forward to reading more of your story journey

eli [a winged tale]

Thanks so much Joichi! I’m eager to keep learning~

Capitania do Azar

I'm gonna go with planning and actually getting it done. I'm so much faster because now the process is much more streamlined to me

kayotics

My whole comic was started s an exercise to just get better at comics generally so I’d probably say every part I’ve improved at? The biggest things are probably colors and the upfront planning process

Phin (Heirs of the Veil)

Ooof hard question. I think my main improvement lies with page and speechballoon layouts and writing natural feeling dialouge. I'd say maybe also character acting?

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

I'm slowly learning how to create more engaging comic narrative. I read and research in the polished prem webcomics to see what makes them engaging? Like I'm going to challenge myself by creating a series of short stories with a reoccurring set of characters. Every new comic series I create is an experience, trial and error. Sometimes I skip the writeup and just go in blind, trust my own instincts. I'm glad to reach out and talk about it than in my own head. I hope by this year, I'll have at least 2 chapters of Hybrid Dolls out.(edited)

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I've definitely gotten better at planning/ outlining multiple chapters ahead of time. I did not even do this when I was doing the first 10 something chapters. (I did attempt an outline before I began the comic, but the story changed significantly from the outline by the time I started the comic, and I did not try to do it again for a long while.) I can't remember when I started, but I do recall having a lot of trouble the first time I tried to do it. It's gotten a little easier each time, though. In fact, I just spent the past few days outlining the next few very important chapters, de-tangling some big tangles. I'm really glad my outlining (and overall writing) skills had leveled up, because HOO boy, I don't think my 2014-2015 self could have done this!

I also became friends with enviros. I had already become somewhat comfortable drawing perspective when HoK started, but I had a sort of mechanical approach to it, like "oh I need some enviro for these establishing shots, guess I'll draw them." But now I LOVE drawing enviros! (some types anyway...) It's my comfort activity, something I treat myself to after a long day! In the thumbnails for my next few pages, there's a few enviro-heavy panels that I have to remove, because I drew too many of them (and the pacing got too slow as a result). I have to stop myself from drawing too many of these.

My biggest improvement is probably I've come to understand my characters and my themes much better, but that's more of a "I got better at making HoK" than a "I got better at making comics." There's definitely a difference between the two.

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

@keii’ii (Heart of Keol) ah I totally understand I tried the outline method before I start but my story changed alot after I drew it. So it start to feel like a waste of time for me, but I'll still write an outline to make sure to plan where my story heads(edited)

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Yeah! I needed to draw those first few chapters to understand the direction of my own story.

The drawing part is an essential part of self-reflection, to try to understand what it is that I want out of the story. The answer has always been there in my heart, but I'm not able to see it clearly from the get-go.

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

I end up breaking scenes and put them in for future episodes, since I want to get a certain flow in the story.

It could be tricky to see what it is you want out of the story until you are in at least 3 chapters in?

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I needed way more than 3 chapters -- though granted, my chapters are short, so that could be a part of it

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

I see the early first script as testing the water. like a test to figure out the characters personalities. Unless you are bringing in old characters which you knew before?(edited)

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Even if the characters have been with you for a while, unless I have made a comic with them, there is a big chance that the characters will completely change, too.

DanitheCarutor

You know, I was thinking about about this, mostly about how I wouldn't have been happy if I was able to finish my comic the day I started. Then I realized I'm happy that I didn't. The first chapter wasn't the best, I was just learning how to coloring a comic, still fleshing out my characters and was still brainstorming small kinks in the story. I also still didn't have as much of an understanding of perspective, or panel and bubble layout. Even though I still have a lot I need to work on, I've gotten a lot better in all those aspects. Even though my use of color is weird, I've definitely gotten much more confident in it, enough so that I experiment and take a lot more risks with style. Even though my panelling can be boring, I have a much better understanding of how I want a page to look. I've improved a lot with my planning as well, like even though my thumbnailing/storyboarding only takes maybe 30, I've learned to step away for a bit if I don't like a layout, or analyzing why I don't like it and brainstorming ways to make it better. If I had magically finished the comic all at once, it would look really bad and may have been less readable.

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

That is inspiring to hear about your improvement @DanitheCarutor

Natsu-no-Hikari

Chiming in! Just this week, Miko (my co-creator) and I were discussing how far we've come from when we started our first comic (https://liarsgotoparadise.com/) vs. where we are now. I think there have been a lot of learn experiences, such as art, dialogue, general editing - but especially with pacing and character interaction. We regret that we didn't stop to focus more on that interaction, as we wanted to move ahead in the story...and now we can't change that, except to start now and not allow ourselves to grow impatient. Take our time and enjoy the journey - that's our new motto. There's a time to rush ahead in perilous moments, but there's also definitely a time to catch our breaths and let the characters mingle and speak. It's an improvement that will become more noticeable going forward in Liars and our second comic as well.

[astdesu-blog]

Because I am evil, all of the cute asks for Cute Ast.

SO EVIL. But here you go. ♡

♡ cute asks ♡

angel; do you have a nickname?

Mmm, I don’t. My name already is a nickname!

awe; how old are you?

22 years old… ;;

baby; favorite color?

I can’t choose between black and purple!

bloop; spirit animal?

According to a test, it’s a sheep…!

blossom; favorite book/movie/song?

My fave song is NEO SCREAM from BORN

blush; what was your stuffed animal as a child?

Winnie the Pooh. And still are, too…

breeze; most precious childhood memory?

Precious memory… Don’t have the most precious, but I really liked the time we was allowed to have a cat at the orphanage. He was really cute.

bright; mermaids or fairies?

Fairies, I think!

bubbles; do you have a best friend?

I do! Best friend and also my co-worker!

buttercup; showers or baths?

Baths, with bath bombs!

butterfly; dream destination?

Any place that has beautiful old architectures! Like… Gothic architecture!

buttons; are you religious or spiritual?

Spiritual, so to say.

calm; favorite scent?

All the sweets scents!

candlelight; what did you dream about last night?

I don’t remember what I dreamed… The last one I remember is a few days already.

charming; have you ever been in love?

Yes, I have.

cozy; eye/hair color?

Eye are dark brown, my hair is dark brown too but with blonde strands.

cuddly; what’s your favorite time period?

Mmm… Up my 18, I think.

cupcake; favorite flower/plant?

I’ll say that it is a cactus because I have one and its already so cute!

cute; what did you get on your last birthday?

Nothing like parties, but cute messages and also a super special present. ♡

cutie pie; most precious item you own?

My guitars! Literally, the most precious ones.

cutsie; what makes you happy?

Sweets, discovered recently that hugs and kisses too.

daisies; describe a moment when you felt free.

The day I really felt free was when I realized that I was setting up my own place, with the few things I could buy. Living by myself was like a dream and when I could finally do it, it was the greatest sensation of freedom I had on my chest, for days. Refreshing.

daydream; how do you want to be remembered?

Oh, mhmm… The boy who was a passionate guitarist with so much dreams that (luckily in the future) he can achieve!

daylight; favorite album of all time?

BLACK THEORY MANIA from BORN!

dear; zodiac sign?

Gemini!

delightful; concerts or museums?

Concerts, but… Museums too. Both are cool!

dimples; have you ever written a letter?

I can’t remember if I did it. Probably not.

dobby; dream job?

As a guitarist. Again, and again!

doll; how do you like to dress?

Comfy clothes but that also feels and looks… nice. Well, in the summer only t-shirts, there is no way we look very nice in the summer. w

dovey; any paranormal/magical experiences?

Sadly, none of them. I am really up for it, but… ;;

dreams; do you want or have any tattoos?

I do have! And wanna do more as well! Already got 5!

drizzle; do you believe in aliens?

Of course. The universe is so big, can’t believe that exist only humans around.

euphoric; talk about someone you love.

Mmmmm… This person has a big heart. A big heart that I want to be in, actually. A unique person, so talented and beautiful, a real inspiration for me and so many others. Always has good advice and is also so lively and refreshing to be around, it’s like… It’s like a compilation of childish souls, this is really so good to be around and feel it. A person who, with patience and subtlety, won my heart with every word they said, every gesture they made, every cute anon ask who sent me and I keep it deary inside my heart. The title of the question is a bit embarrassing, but I think it already applies.

fairy; do you have a pet?

I don’t, but when I’ll get a chance I really want a kitty.

fluffy; ocean or mountain?

Mmm, ocean!

forever; where do you feel time stop?

At their side. A truly new experience.

froglet; are you a good plant owner?

I’m being a good owner! It’s been months since I’ve had them and they’re still alive and healthy.

garden; how many languages do you know?

My native one and a little of English. Really only a little.

gem; who are your favorite tumblrs?

Those with monochrome themes with beautiful images!

giggles; what is your aesthetic of choice?

Can I say tattoos because of myself…? w

glittery; do you like anons? why/why not?

I do like them, sometimes they are a bit… strange, but ne.

glow; list the top 5 things you like about yourself

Oh. Mmm.

• Tattoos• My ability to play guitar• My music taste• My hair• … mm, my eyes, maybe…

heart; silk or lace?

Silk, I think…?

honey; coffee or tea? how do you take it?

Both of them! Also, both really sweet, coffee not too hot as well as tea, but ice tea too.

hugsy; do you enjoy people watching or bird watching more? why?

Eh… I enjoy not being watched. w

hunnybunch; what sounds help you sleep?

Any music on my earphones! I can sleep with music but not with noises.

jewel; what’s your favorite kind of weather?

Not too hot, not too cold. 

jiggly; what do you usually like to do on weekends?

Now, I work on weekends, so I like to sleep when I am home.

joy; do you laugh loudly or giggle more?

Giggle more.

kinky; do you blush easily?

So, so, sooo much easily. I hate it…

kisses; what romantic cliché do you wish for most?

Mmm… I think it is holding hands.

kitty; what’s your favorite time of the day?

Night!

ladybug; what’s your favorite artist to listen to when you’re sad?

When I am sad… Maybe D'espairsRay.

love; what is your favorite season and why?

Fall, it is magical and so, so comfy. Not too hot neither too cold. The perfect balance.

lovey; what is your favorite flavor of macaron and ice cream?

All flavors! All sweet forms!

magic; what are five flaws you have?

• Being stuck in the past;• But also be pulled constantly into the future;• Feel too much;• Don’t notice many things from other people for being afraid to look around;• Not having more tattoos. w

moonlight; do you prefer soft pastels, warm neutrals, or cool darks?

Cool darks!

munchkin; what do you look for in your significant other?

Mmm….. All that they already have….

paddywack; how would you describe a perfect date?

Anywhere, with anything, but with the right people.

pebbles; how do you spend free time by yourself?

Games, games. Sweets, games, sweets. Games!

precious; what is something valuable that you learned in your life?

Despite all the bad things that have happened and are likely to happen, you will never  be alone, someone will be there to help you and show you new paths, new visions. They can stay or not, but then you’ll find someone again.

pretty; do you like to cook or bake more?

I do like both!

prince; how would you describe your handwriting?

Strange. A bit out of form…

princess; do you play any instruments? if not, are there any you wish you could play?

I do, my precious and lovable guitar!

prinky; how do you relieve stress?

First, crying. It’s a little automatic. If I get a big wave of stress I will cry. And of course, sweets to help!

pumpkin; what is your favourite kind of fruit/vegetable?

Mmm, apple, strawberry, broccoli…

rainbow; what was the last line of the last book you read?

Eh… I can’t remember it, the last one…!

roses; what is the most significant event in your life so far?

My independance!

smile; what is one thing that has greatly affected you?

In a good way, I think it was Axkey. I learned a lot by being a bandman.

shine; art or music?

Both, it is… complementary!

shimmer; do animals tend to like you?

Neighborhood kittens seem to like me, so, yes!

smitten; do you collect anything?

Winnie the Pooh plushies… Not so adult, but…!

smoochies; how many pillows do you sleep with?

A single pillow if the plushies don’t count.

snuggle; what is your favourite candy?

Can’t choose it. Never! All candies.

snuggly; do you have a camera? if so, what kind?

I don’t have one.

sparkle; do you wear jewelry?

I do! Most necklace.

spooky; sunrise or sunset?

Sunset.

sprinkles; do you like to listen to music with headphones or no headphones?

When I am home I listen to without headphones.

starlight; what was your favourite show as a child?

Can’t rembember a specific one. We’ll weren’t allowed to watch much TV.

soft; describe your favourite spot in your house.

My bedroom/living room. A bookshelf full of games, manga and CD’s, my little space for makeup and all those things, my bed with my plushies. A comfortable rug, not a big sofa, but a  big TV and also a PC!

soothe; digital or vinyl?

Digital.

squeezed; who do you miss right now?

The special ones…!

sugary; what traits do you value most in friends?

Mhm, I think the main thing would be to be honest and have compassion.

sunshine; do you prefer for things to be practical or aesthetically pleasing?

A bit of the two…!

sweet; do you find it easy to open up?

Definitely not.

sweetie; do you like kids? if so, do you ever want to have any?

A little, so to say. When I was in the orphanage I had a tendency to protect the younger children, but after I lost contact with this reality, I don’t know how I feel about it anymore. Probably don’t want to.

thimble; is there somebody you look up to? who are they?

There are people, yes, but don’t want to tell who~

toot; what is something you find unique about yourself?

About my personality I don’t know what to say, but about my body: my tattoos!

tootsie; what kind of friend are you?

The shy one who always has to be pushed into things, as he never goes by himself…

treasure; what was something that made you smile today?

Messages.

velvet; are you an early bird or a night owl?

Night owl!

whiffle; if you could have a magical power, what would it be?

I would like if I could be invisible!

whimsical; do you prefer doing stuff at home or going out?

Stuff at home. Comfy clothes and the bed always near me…!

whiskers; do you usually wear makeup?

I do! Not so frequently like when I was on a band, but still do it.

wiggly; are you a messy or tidy person?

Tidy, I like the things on its place.

wispy; do you like the place where you grew up? do you think you will live there when you get older?

Talking about a city, yes. I grew up in Tokyo and I still live here. But talking about a place, definitely not.

wobbly; have you ever wished upon a star?

Yes and the most cool thing is that… happened!

[bintaeran]

Catching Up with Beth Gibbs

Catching Up with Beth Gibbs Nina Zolotow by Beth

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Beth Gibbs, MA, a certified yoga therapist through the International Association of Yoga Therapists and a faculty member at the Kripalu School of Integrative Yoga Therapy. I have a masters’ degree in Yoga Therapy and Mind/Body Health from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. After years of working for media, higher education, and non-profit organizations, I’m now ‘free-tired’ and pursuing my passion of helping others (and myself) find clarity, contentment, and resilience in a complicated world. My writing includes newsletters, magazine and blog articles on the benefits of yoga, mindfulness and self-awareness. I’m the author of Ogi Bogi, The Elephant Yogi, a therapeutic yoga book for children and I’ve been writing for Yoga for Healthy Aging since 2015. 

From January through March of 2020, I was busy teaching yoga, writing a book, sending proposals to agent and publishers, and in general keeping busy, visiting friends, going to art openings, reading books, posting online, eating out, hanging with family—you know, normal life. 

Then BAM! Up popped the pandemic, forcing me to take a ride on the CORONA-coaster. That left me, like many of you, COVER-whelmed, dealing with CORONA-phobia, and adjusting to the three W’s (Wear a mask, Wash your hands, and Watch your distance). All my classes were cancelled. One of the studios where I taught restorative and Yin yoga sadly closed up permanently. I thought I was going to have an extended restful staycation and sabbatical from work and volunteering. Boy, was I wrong!

The pandemic hit pretty hard, pretty early in Connecticut, largely because the southern part of the state borders New York, which really got slammed. Because I felt healthy and safe, and because I have a deep interest in making sure everyone has access to basics like food, I gave my government $1,200 relief payment, plus more of my own savings, to World Central Kitchen, No Kid Hungry, Feeding America, and my local Foodshare program. 

Connecticut, the Nutmeg State, is largely populated by reasonable people who listen to science. In the past seven months, I’ve seen only one or two folks not wearing masks or social distancing. As a result, we are now slowly and safely opening back up, including the schools. 

Then there is the other pandemic of racial and social injustice that re-appeared in front of our eyes in the news and on our digital devices. I say re-appeared because it has never really gone away. I found myself attending a rally, writing about it, performing a piece in a local theater group’s online presentation, titled Say Our Name. I joined a group of yogis holding weekly Zoom meetings on how best to help with the DEI (Diversity, Equity Inclusion) and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous People Of Color) movements. So far, we’ve come up with four pillars to serve as a foundation for whatever we eventually build. The four pillars are:

Improve health outcomes in under-resourced communities.

Have more wellness practitioners serve in under-resourced communities.

Amplify the impact of BIPOC wellness practitioners.

Increase wellness practitioners’ knowledge and understanding of the effects of racialized trauma on themselves and their clientele.

Also, I signed the Yogins United letter to Get Out The Vote, which urges all citizens to actively participate by taking one or more of three important action steps: 

VOTE: Go to Vote.org to check regularly that you are properly registered to vote, sign up for an absentee ballot, and get three friends to do the same.

VOICE: Go to Vote Forward, Engaged Buddhist, or Dharma Vote and sign up to write letters to voters in swing states. This method of peer-to-peer engagement is proven effective and we prefer letter writing to cold-calling and texting in this election cycle.

VOLUNTEER: Go to All Voting Is Local and sign up to be a poll worker. Help safeguard our electoral process and protect voters in marginalized communities from rampant voter suppression.

Somehow, I got myself drafted to participate in creating material for IAYT’s (International Association of Yoga Therapists) ethics training videos for the accreditation process. The goal is to create four one-hour videos, each one worth 1 CE (Continuing Education credit). 

Then there is the personal. Definitely it was and still is a strange time, but as an introvert who is sensitive to OPE (other people’s energy), I was just fine with being home alone in spite of the lockdown, shut down, and need to occasionally quarantine. I tried yoga on Zoom but abandoned that pretty quickly for my own yoga and meditation practice. 

Yoga on Zoom was not for me, but meetings that that moved from in person to virtual were another matter. I actually found myself enjoying them. In social groups it’s hard for an introvert to listen or be heard over the chatter especially when we’re trying to get our own thoughts in order. From the comfort of my couch, (no bra, no shoes, but yes, I wear pants) I know I’m seen and it’s easier to be heard.

I wrote like crazy; finished my book, moved past the rejections from the agents and traditional publishers, found a hybrid publisher that I liked and signed a contract. That’s working well and my book Enlighten Up! The Five Layers of Self-Awareness will be released later this fall. It’s a personal growth book that presents a contemporary (and often light-hearted) look at the kosha model of being human. It offers personal stories along with goals and accessible practices that can be done by anyone. 

Since I had time on my hands, I used some of it to de-clutter and re-organize my spaces. I am a recovering perfectionist; dis-organization and clutter makes my skin crawl. During the process, I discovered boxes filled with stuff I wrote years ago. Honestly, I don’t remember writing a lot of it, but I liked it. I uncovered an unfinished novel and a bunch of short stories. So, I finished the novel, polished the short stories and wrote a few more. As I re-read them and began the job of editing and re-writing, I noticed that they all involved the importance of self-awareness and how that can improve a life, change a habit, and help the characters manage difficult feelings and touchy situations. Yoga, for sure! 

I look forward to keeping the theme of self-awareness prominent in my upcoming posts and bringing you thought provoking information on how yoga can help us live—and age—in healthy and productive ways.

Beth's self-awareness newsletter is published six times a year. It features informative, inspiring and entertaining tips for finding clarity, contentment, and resilience in a complicated world. For more information and to sign up for the newsletter go to www.bethgibbs.com.

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° To order Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being, go to Amazon, Shambhala, Indie Bound or your local bookstore.

Catching Up with Beth Gibbs https://ift.tt/2EouOc7 themostdangerous1 https://ift.tt/3hSR2AF via IFTTT

[baek--honey]

1-50 bitch

well since u asked nicely how could i resist

1. If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time? paint/draw or the like, or knit maybe,

2. What’s your favorite piece of clothing you own/owned? MY HOT MOMS SHIRT THAT I LOST ;n; also the big grey hoodie i have & a pierce the veil shirt i borrowed from my gf that im never giving back :)

4. How often do you play sports? never

5. What fictional place would you most like to go to? The Digital World

6. What job would you be terrible at? probably anything involving extensive memorizing and maintaining information for long periods of time. so basically a lot of things…… or maybe like. working at starbucks cos i cant make coffee OR remember lots of drink recipes omg

7. If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, what would you have a good chance at winning a medal for? playing kingdom hearts 2 on easy mode. i would have a good chance at winning because all the people that are good at playing kingdom hearts are gaming elitists that think playing on easy is for losers and if you dont play on critical mode you arent a real gamer :)

8. What skill would you like to master? making an omelet OR knitting

10. What would be the most amazing adventure to go on? some out of town adventure with my girlfriend where money and time dont matter 

11. If you could change one thing about your life right now, what would you change and why? uh i’d like to be less haunted by my traumatic past maybe! or be a few inches taller that would be cool i feel like both of these are pretty self explanatory 

12. What’s your favorite drink? W A T E R or milk tea 

13. What do you consider to be your best find? my girlfriend 

14. Are you usually early or late? way too early. too mcuh time i dont know what to do with it

15. What pets did you have while growing up? hm lets see i had a couple turtles, some fish, i had a gerbil that i got from a friend, an african grey named solomon, boston terrier named Tiny, two white boxers named Floyd & Lloyd, a mix named Macy, 4 chihuhuas named Dude, Pooty, Flout & Chief, and now we have a cat named Schrödinger :~), oh and an amstaff/dalmation mix named EL

16. When people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with? anything and everything but never really asking for advice i guess? its more of them talking about a problem cos im easy to talk to and then me trying to help them come up to a solution if they need it

17. What takes up too much of your time? S L E E P I N G 

18. What do you wish you knew more about? cats!!!! also dogs cos i know a lot but i want to know more

19. What would be your first question after waking up from being cryogenically frozen for 100 years? why am i still alive?

21. Who’s your go-to band or artist when you can’t decide on something to listen to? seventeen or monsta x, exo’s LMR repackaged album

22. What shows are you into? the office, lost, honestly nothing thats still running on tv, i havent watched a show in forever, oh god wait does anime count cos i could write the longest list of anime i love: haikyuu, nge, digimon, noragami ,,,,,,

23. Who has impressed you most with what they’ve accomplished? Seventeen (Hangul: 세븐틴), also stylized as SEVENTEEN or SVT, is a South Korean boy group formed by Pledis Entertainment in 2015. The group consists of thirteen members divided into three sub-units, 

24. What age do you wish you could permanently be? a dog mom & i hope i can make that wish come true

25. What would be your ideal way to spend the weekend? napping on and off in bed with my girlfriend and then going to town for sushi & milk tea and then uhhhhhhhhhhh coming back home to nap some more and then go out for noodles for another date :} oh and a dog would be involved if possible because cuddling dogs is best

26. What’s something you like to do the old-fashioned way? physically writing and sending cards/letters in the mail i guess? i dont know if that really counts as doing something the old fashioned way but i definitely dont get as many cards or anything in the mail anymore. i also like to keep physical hand written to-do lists & schedules and stuff

27. What have you only recently formed an opinion on? how bad exo are at dancing  turtlenecks and scarves. they are good 

28. What’s the single best day on the calendar? october 10th my dogs birthday and also narutos birthday

29. What are you interested in that most people haven’t heard of? asmr??? 

30. What is the most annoying question that people ask you? “did u have a little lamb?” OR when my grandpa asks me anything about his iphone 

31. What could you give a 40-minute presentation on without absolutely no preparation? my dogs or seventeen. OR a half ass presentation about kingdom hearts, trying to explain it while getting around all the plot holes and not nailing down my arguments cos i dont really get it either and theres a lot i dont pay attention to but i could come up with 40 mins of info im sure

32. If you were a dictator of a small island nation, what crazy dictator stuff would you do? no waking until 10am. no crime or anything will be allowed ill figure out some way to make everything perfect so women can go out alone at night and not be afraid. no discrimination !! all the poc, lgbt, disabled, any minority  will be welcome and have safe spaces and any hate will be punished by law. also everyones allowed to have pets in their homes and no home goes without food or power. am i doing this right

33. What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives? travel out of your comfort zone. like physically travel somewhere and make the most of it but do it with someone cos the buddy system is important

34. What’s worth spending more on to get the best? jackets. i will pay up to 100$ for a good jacket and wear it forever cos itll be confirmed long-lasting and also most likely very comfortable!!!

35. What is something that a ton of people are obsessed with but you just don’t get the point of? i just want to point out that its not that i dont get the point of it because everyone has their likes and i have my own that other people dont i like that people are into whatever they want to be its just that i am Not into it. and that thing is yuri on ice

36. What are you most looking forward to in the next 10 years? being able to wake up every morning next to my girlfriend and out pets :~)

37. Where is the most interesting place you’ve been? corning museum of glass was super neat……. , dollywood, gatlinburg, chicago chinatown, idk i havent been to many interesting places 

38. What’s something you’ve been meaning to try but just haven’t gotten around to? i wana get a tattoo !!!!!!!!

39. What’s the best thing that happened to you last week? getting a job interview at barnes & noble because now i have a job there!!!

40. What piece of entertainment do you wish you could erase from your mind so that you could experience it for the first time again? diamond edge chicago

41. If all jobs had the same pay and hours, what job would you like to have? all i really want is that job where im paid to sleep 

42. How different was your life one year ago? tbh not that much different?? other than i was in school and now im not. i didnt have a job and now i do. i was a year further away from moving 

43. What’s the best way to start the day? talking to my girlfriend and also let me just say that first pee in the morning. perfect

44. What quirks do you have? what are quirks exactly i looked up examples to help me think of some but all im thinking of is…i cant have the volume on my tv or radio on an even number it has to be on an odd number??? i have to sleep with a fan on. idk dude

45. What would you rate 10/10? [MV] 몬스타엑스 (MONSTA X) _ 걸어 (ALL IN)

46. What kind of art do you enjoy most? abstract w lots of colors and shapes. geometric stuff 

47. What do you hope never changes? my ability to collect myself (unless it gets better which then i hope it does), my passion for art of any sort

48. What city would you most like to live in? anywhere except charleston and somewhere thats not extremely highly populated

49. What movie title best describes your life? Scooby Doo 2 - Monsters Unleashed

50. What’s the best way a person can spend their time? sleeping or hanging out with their pet

[iamjamesmatthew]

IAJM INTERVIEW w/ BOKKABOOM ILLUSTRATIONS (@BOKKABOOM)

BOKKABOOM ILLUSTRATIONS INTERVIEW by MATTHEW JAMES IAJM: Who are you? Who is Bokkaboom and what kind of art do you create? SLOBODAN MEDAREVIC: My name is Slobodan Medarevic but I go by the name of “Bokkaboom”. I am from and currently live in the city of Kraljevo in Serbia. I mainly do digital illustrations and some graphic design work. My design work is inspired by Hip Hop, street art, and comic books. IAJM: How long have you been working as a graphic designer? What does your art mean to you?

SM: I draw since I can remember, but when I started high school, I strayed from it unfortunately for a few years to finally get back to it, so I got into the digital world about 7 years ago now.

I am happy to say that it’s everything to me. I am very passionate for it, and I can say that my art identifies me. I started drawing at a very young age, but it wasn’t very common where I am from, so I was shy about it and eventually I stopped doing it, and didn’t want to go to art school because of it. Nearing the end of high school, I realized I went far away from what I really want and got back to it. I started doing digital work because I was inspired by Grand Theft Auto posters, so I started drawing my friends in that manner, people really liked it, so I guess that pushed me further.

IAJM: In your mind, what differentiates you from the other writers, today? What is your standout quality?

SM: Hm, I’d rather have someone else be the judge of that, but if I have to say, I would say the line work, especially on those TDE pieces of Kendrick Lamar and others. But that’s what makes us all different after all, you can say: “Draw a line” to 10 different people and they will all draw a different line. We all feel and therefore project ourselves through art in a different way.

IAJM: You mentioned that we project ourselves in different ways, which I believe, too. We also have different motivations for our work. What motivates you to go out and create?

SM: A lot of things really, but, the general answer would be the power of art. The ability of it to impact people; bringing a message without writing a word, and the fact that it defies time and distance. I would say that my art is yet on that level, but we live to learn and become better. When I receive a message from a kid from the other side of the world that my art inspires them, there’s honestly not a bigger award for me than that.

IAJM: We touched on what differentiates and motivates you, so now I want to look at influence. It’s obvious that Hip Hop is a big influence on you. Who are you listening to right now? What're your favourite albums?

SM: It is definitely a big influence. It is such a powerful form of art, there is no chance it won’t impact you when you hear it, it’s just a matter if you want to listen. I find my art inspired and similar to rap music, because of synonyms and symbols that are effective in both ways.You don’t hear or you don’t see everything the first time, you have to go through it again, and you have to possess a certain knowledge to understand what the artist has to say. Sometimes you can learn a lot from a rap song. I started listening to rap music actively around 2002, I remember buying my first album, it was Eminem’s “The Eminem Show”. I knew a bunch of tracks word for word. After that, I really got into it. The list is very long when it comes to favourite albums, but as far as the artists go, of course, Biggie and Pac, Nas, Game and 50 Cent, those two made me a hardcore rap fan, Eminem, Fabolous, his Soul Tape projects got me through some very tough times, Wu-Tang… Out of the young ones, whole TDE crew, King Los, Demrick, M-Dot, and Joey Bada$$.

IAJM: Let’s talk about the Serbian art scene for a second. Who are some of the local artists you feel people should be paying attention to?

SM: Uh, Serbia has a lot of talented people in all areas, it’s just that people here are not that connected and don’t have such an exposure to the world. I’d say NNM crew, which my brother Loose is a part of, and Das Drogen, from the people I follow, and which your followers may find interesting are really good street art crews to check out. But they are all connected so I am sure they will discover a lot more through them.

IAJM: What projects are you currently working on? Do you have anything coming up that you’re excited about?

SM: I am in a lot of clients works at the moment. CD covers, posters, t-shirt designs… I am also a co-founder and a part of an animation crew called Streethearted videos, so I am working on a few animated video projects as well… I am currently doing a rappers card deck for a client, and I am really excited for people to see that. I got an invitation to a street art festival this year so I hope I will have a chance to transfer my artworks onto the walls myself.

Aside from all of that, my big goal for 2017 is to finally start my own clothing line. I have plans to start it internationally, so we are working on finding good quality materials and everything else needed. The designs are ready, we just need to connect all the dots.

IAJM: I don’t believe that any of us are “self-made”. All of us have had some help along the way through life and it’s important to recognize those people in our lives. Who are some people you would like to acknowledge or thank for supporting you over the years?

SM: I’d like to thank all my people from around the world that are following me and helping me get my art out there, My parents for letting me be me, and Demrick, DJ Fingaz, Nadim, and Maurice for getting me my first jobs. I want to thank my girlfriend who has been my biggest supporter and has helped me reach my dreams. My brother who thought me about drawing when I was a kid, my crew Streethearted videos and all my friends from the Pampula hood!

IAJM: Where can people find you online?

SM: People can find me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. IG: https://www.instagram.com/bokkaboom_illustrations/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/bokkaboomillustrations Twitter: https://twitter.com/BokkaBoom

IAJM: Final question. Being an artist isn’t always an easy path to follow. There’s a lot of vulnerability to deal with when opening up and expressing a piece of one’s self with the world. What advice would you like to give to a young artist who may be struggling with creativity (writer’s block), but also may be struggling with the slow process of gaining acceptance/recognition as an artist? What would you say to them?

SM: Well, there’s not a recipe for it, but here my opinion. It’s important to believe in yourself and what you do, that’s what keeps you going in the beginning. Set goals so you know what you are doing it for, and work a lot. There are people who look up to me, but I am far from where I want to be, and there are people that I look up to who probably work hard to get to the next level themselves. But as you might hear it in a lot of motivational videos and quotes do not compare yourself to other artists, because even something feels nice to your eye it doesn’t mean you will be comfortable doing it. And definitely, don’t do it for Instagram likes, just because something you worked on for 12 hours has fewer likes than something you did in 2hrs it doesn’t mean it is worth more. Letting that effect you will never let you grow. So hard work will get you recognition and regarding the creative block, just do something completely different from what you need to do and your brain will work it out when you are not thinking about it, at least that’s how it works out for me. 

To see more work from BOKKABOOM ILLUSTRATIONS, follow him online:

Facebook Twitter Instagram

[mrmichaelchadler]

The Art of Sales Hiring: Sell Me This Pen and Show Me Your W-2!!!

Silk suit, black tie, I don’t need a reason why They come runnin’ just as fast as they can ‘Cause every girl crazy ’bout a sharp dressed man

 –ZZ Top ______________________________

(Editor’s note – for a deeper dive on hiring salespeople, join KD as he hosts HR Mind Games next Thursday, June 28th at 1pm ET, Noon CT – click here to register)

If you’re an HR or Recruiting leader tasked with making sure your organization has the talent it needs, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds.

But don’t fool yourself – some positions matter more than others.  Need an example?  Let’s talk about hiring Salespeople.

Hiring Salespeople is not for the weak of heart.  It’s an exercise full of myth, positioning and hype, which when you think about it, are all tools a great sales pro uses to close business on monthly basis.

Need some examples of the myths and hype including in the process of hiring an elephant-hunting, business-closing machine?  I thought you’d never ask – here you go:

1—Sell me this pen! Believe it or not, people still think that asking a sales candidate to market an analog instrument in the digital age is a great indicator of future success. Last seen in the closing minutes of The Wolf of Wall Street, if you have sales leaders asking this question, you’re asking for a sales force with the cognitive abilities of Fred and Barney Flintstone. Real sales pros would laugh at the question and simply start messing with your interviewer, confident that they will never take a job at your company.

2—Show me your W-2!  Now we’re getting somewhere! The ability to earn $150K (let’s assume that’s the total comp payout at 100% quota level in your company for an AE) HAS to be linked to the candidate’s ability to earn $150K at their current/previous company, right? Asking this question is the equivalent of the caveman grunt (Fred and Barney approve) asking you to “prove it.” Never mind that 40% of the candidate’s commission at her current/previous company came from a “manna from heaven” email referral that she closed by making a single call and literally taking an order.  W-2 matches the earnings claim though, so you got that going for you – which is nice.

3—Tell me about a time you’ve closed a difficult sale!  By now, all of you know that your sales managers don’t have time to update Salesforce, but we totally trust them to ask behavioral questions and follow-up/probe as needed to properly vet what’s real and not real in a behavioral interview. Perfect!

Before I give you my Glengarry list of ways to behavioral vet sales talent, let’s be clear about what we’re searching for.  There are basically two types of sales pros out there to choose from:

A–Hunter/Elephant Gun Carrier. This is the type of sales pro you want to drive revenue at your company. Generally fearless and as impossible to kill as a family of cockroaches living by a dumpster bin behind a Chinese buffet, this sales pro lives for the thrill of adding new customers and clients to your company. #YouWantThisOne

B–Farmer/Non-Closer. WARNING. This is the type of sales pro you hire when you miss.  They worked for the right companies, they say the right things and they look good.  But when you really dig underneath the covers, they have different behavioral motivations than the hunter. 90% of your sales hiring misses are because you hired farmers rather than hunters. Farmers are often great people, they’re just not salespeople.

Myths and hype dominate the traditional sales hiring process.  So, what’s the best way to determine whether the candidate in front of you is a hunter or a famer?

In my experience, the quickest way to separate great sales candidates from average ones is to rely on a quality behavioral assessment.

Here’s the four behavioral dimensions you can bank on to know if someone could truly sell ice to a resident member of native Alaska peoples:

1–Team Dimension. Known by different names, the team dimension doesn’t mean good teammate/bad teammate. It instead provides a reading on how people want rewards, feedback and recognition.  Low team people under this definition want individual rewards and scoreboards, high team people want those items delivered to them in a team setting.  Hunters are – duh – low team.

2—Assertiveness.  One of the greatest dangers in your sales recruiting process is that you’ll accept a candidate who’s had relevant sales experience but are mid-range when measured on Assertiveness.  Run, Forrest, Run – you’re looking at a Farmer and it’s all going to hell within a year.

3–Rules Orientation.  Low Rules candidates love chaos and figuring out their approach on a case-by-case basis (hunter!).  High rules candidates want to know what the operations manual suggests they do (farmer!). Guess which candidate equates to new revenue over time? Hint – It’s not the one who’s looking to set up a meeting to talk about process.

4—Sensitivity. Account Managers (another name for Farmers) need more recovery time from rejection than true salespeople, who generally have skin as thick as rhinos without access to shade and believe that someone saying no is actually an invite to follow up with them in 21 days as ask again.

The whole key to finding great sales pros is understanding that predictive success can be determined though a behavioral assessment – probably more so in Sales than any other area.  Find a tool that you’re comfortable with, make it a non-negotiable part of your process and you’re on your way to better sales hiring.

Or you can do what the much of the world does and hire the best-looking and smoothest-talking person.  Let me know how that works out for you if you go that way!

FOT Note: This post is brought to you by the good folks at Caliper (a leading provider of employee assessment and talent development solutions) – who like us enough to be an annual sponsor at FOT for all content in our assessment and development track (and don’t expect that we run any of this by them ahead of time). Check them out, friends. Use them to help you select the right person, then maximize performance once they’re on your team.

(for a deeper dive on hiring salespeople, join KD as he hosts HR Mind Games next Thursday, June 28th at 1pm ET, Noon CT – click here to register)

The post The Art of Sales Hiring: Sell Me This Pen and Show Me Your W-2!!! appeared first on Fistful of Talent.

from Fistful of Talent https://ift.tt/2tiqjqT

[dippedanddripped]

NEW YORK, United States — Cardi B and Anna Wintour? It was this unlikely front-row pairing that got the fashion flock buzzing when American designer Alexander Wang presented his Autumn/Winter 2018 collection at the old Condé Nast offices high above New York’s Times Square in February. After all, the seat next to Wintour, the most powerful figure in fashion, is usually filled by fellow magazine editors, industry chief executives, Hollywood stars — even royalty.

While Wang has long been a fan of hip-hop, the placement of the 25-year-old female rapper — a Bronx native who broke out in 2017 after her track “Bodak Yellow” took the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart — speaks volumes about how the wider fashion industry has changed its stance on hip-hop, which, in December, surpassed rock to become the most popular music genre in the US.

“It’s important for this generation and the next generation to see people that look like them or that inspire them, because fashion isn’t just for the elite any more,” says rapper A$AP Rocky, who is as well known for his sense of style as he is for his music. “Fashion is for everyone and the more you try to exclude people, you’ll find out that those are the same people you need to include the most.”

Whether it is A$AP Rocky and the rest of the A$AP Mob starring in the latest instalment of Calvin Klein’s #MyCalvins campaign, Gucci paying “homage” (some cried “cultural appropriation”) to Daniel “Dapper Dan” Day in its Cruise 2018 collection or Dior Homme inviting rappers like Future, Big Sean and Metro Boomin to Kris van Assche’s final collection for the house in January 2018, fashion brands have woken up to the reality that hip-hop has replaced Hollywood as the most powerful force in global entertainment culture.

Over the past two years, more than a dozen luxury brands — including Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent and Marc Jacobs — have featured hip-hop artists in their advertising campaigns, while brands like Versace and JW Anderson have taken things a step further by collaborating with artists like 2 Chainz and A$AP Rocky on products.

Hip-hop artists are storytellers and news reporters of the times.

This was not always the case. For many decades, hip-hop was seen to be brand-diluting for major luxury houses, who dismissed the growing power of street culture. When Daniel “Dapper Dan” Day opened his boutique in New York’s Harlem in 1982, he was swiftly sued by Fendi, whose lawyers were not amused by his extravagant designs emblazoned with signature logos from their brands and sold to influential rappers, athletes and street hustlers. The store was ultimately shut down in 1992, following a slew of raids and lawsuits.

“In the early days it was devastating, I was attacked constantly,” recalls Day. “They felt that I was infringing upon their brands, but all I was doing was making a statement. You can go on forever about what the line is between appropriation and aesthetic creation.”

Today, following a social media-fuelled outrage suggesting that Gucci had stolen — not paid homage to — Day’s work with its replica of one of Day’s 1989 jackets for its Cruise 2018 collection, the designer is partnering with the Italian megabrand on made-to-order garments and limited-edition products, sold from Gucci’s new Harlem boutique, which opened in January. “A sign of the times!” exclaimed Day in a tweet announcing the boutique’s January 2018 launch.

But beyond working with Day, Gucci has invited rappers like A$AP Rocky and Childish Gambino to its runway shows and is worn by artists such as Migos and 2 Chainz, boosting its well-documented success with younger luxury consumers.

Certainly, hip-hop is a powerful tool for reaching Generations Y and Z, who are expected to account for 45 percent of the global luxury spend by 2025, according to Bain & Company.

“It’s a way of reaching young kids that usually would not take an interest in high-end fashion or high-end tailoring,” agrees Kris van Assche. The recently appointed artistic director of Berluti previously spent 11 years as artistic director of Dior Homme, which dresses several hip-hop artists, including A$AP Rocky, Big Sean and Future (these rappers have also made regular front row appearances at Dior Homme’s runway shows). “It’s a way of getting the message over to them.”

“Hip-hop artists are storytellers and news reporters of the times, [and] with hip-hop being the number one music genre, it proves that hip-hop artists drive culture,” says stylist and fashion consultant Aleali May, who has worked with popular rappers including Kendrick Lamar, Lil Yachty and 21 Savage. “Fashion is paying more attention to its consumers now more than ever,” she adds. “The old way of thinking is out the door and, in order to attract the next generation, there needs to be an analysis on what’s driving the consumer.”

Calvin Klein #MyCalvins 2017 campaign | Source: Courtesy

“[Rappers] like Kanye come from a completely different angle and are more open-minded. Their biggest strength is understanding how to communicate and trigger a reaction from a young audience — it’s something that fashion doesn’t understand nearly as well,” says David Fischer, founder and chief executive of streetwear and youth culture title Highsnobiety, which frequently works with rappers like Gucci Mane, Joey Badass and Cam’ron on branded content for fashion brands.

But as a “millennial state of mind” takes hold across society, changing the purchasing habits of all generations of consumers, hip-hop is not just about courting the youth. From teenagers lining up to buy the newest Supreme products to traditional luxury customers to the designers themselves, the music of Kanye West, Drake and Travis Scott is now resonating with a wide slice of people regardless of their demographics. Indeed, hip-hop now accounts for almost a quarter of all music consumption in the United States, with eight out of the 10 most popular artists of 2017 from the genre, according to Nielsen Music.

“Hip-hop in particular has always been an important influence in my life and my creative process,” says Alexander Wang, whose sportswear aesthetic has long attracted rappers — including Travis Scott, Vic Mensa and A$AP Ferg — and who has often cast hip-hop artists in his brand’s advertising campaigns. “I continue to be inspired by the genre as it evolves and touches all levels of society and forms of culture today.”

Content creation aimed at feeding the all-important social media feed is a big piece of the puzzle. “I would say 90 percent of my artists have their own creative directors, videographers and editing teams [that] get content out that day. That’s the secret sauce,” says Tammy Brook, founder and chief executive of FYI Brand Group, a brand strategy agency that for the past 17 years has connected companies with influential cultural figures, including rappers.

But as with any dialogue, it was not just the fashion industry that warmed to hip-hop. Rappers, too, have shifted their stance on the industry and the liberalisation of the hip-hop scene was key to the shift. “Hip-hop going mainstream happened a bit earlier, but it became more inclusive quite recently — it used to be exclusive and macho,” explains Fischer. “You now have everyone from queer rappers to female rappers and the market has become a lot less homophobic, which has also led to a lot more hip-hop artists feeling more comfortable with embracing fashion and vice versa.”

Rappers have long used designer fashion as a symbol of status, both in person as well as in their lyrics. Think: Migos’ Versace, Lil Pump’s Gucci Gang and Jay-Z’s Tom Ford. But as their influence grows, so, too, has their definition of personal style. Take A$AP Rocky’s 2013 hit “Fashion Killa” in which the rapper not only gives a shout out to luxury megabrands like Prada and Dolce & Gabbana but smaller in-the-know designers like Ann Demeulemeester and Visvim. “I admire Japanese and Belgian fashion designers because of their perspective, their approach to design and the execution, which is so advanced and different. It inspires me,” says A$AP Rocky.

But shoppers smell bullshit, so the minute it’s perceived as a marketing thing, it’s not going to work.

“That’s where the partnerships come in,” says Matthew Henson, who has been working with A$AP Rocky on the rapper’s fashion business (AWGE) since 2013. “Some artists offer a unique and valid point of view and can contribute to the overall growth and creativity of a brand. Designers are always inspired by music, art and social movements so if they align with a particular musician, then they collaborate there as well.”

And as much as fashion brands are leveraging hip-hop, rappers are using fashion houses to build their personal brands. But it needs to be authentic, says Brook. “The first thing [rappers] have to do to blow up in the fashion world is love fashion, this can’t be fake. You have to know about it and be part of the culture and community.

“Second thing is, you put them in a room (at shows, dinners and after-parties) with the Anna Wintours, the Carine Roitfelds, the Kim Jones, and you get them to a point where they’re credible enough and on the radar,” she continues. “Once they’re in the room, they’ve got to create a real connection that’s direct, because when designers decide who they’re going to put in their campaigns, it’s going to be the ones they really feel the connection with,” emphasises the brand strategist, who has enabled the deals between Travis Scott and both Saint Laurent and Helmut Lang; Big Sean and Dior Homme; Pusha T and Adidas and more. “Once that’s starting to organically happen, it’s about having a team so the world can see it in real time through digital media.”

It is a familiar trajectory also seen with A$AP Rocky, who starred in Dior Homme’s Autumn/Winter 2016 and Spring/Summer 2017 campaigns, after attending several Dior Homme shows the years prior. “That’s exactly the point, we don’t really look for them,” says Van Assche about Rocky, who impressed the designer through his extensive knowledge of fashion, as well as his personal style and taste. “They become obvious choices because of the relationship we construct with them. There has to be that personal connection.”

On the staying power of hip-hop’s influence within the fashion industry, Fischer says: “This is the new reality. [Rappers] are going to be the most influential brands in the future and if you want your brand to have any relevance with a young audience you need to embrace this, and you need to make it a general part of your strategy moving forward.” He pauses before adding a word of caution: “But shoppers smell bullshit, so the minute it’s perceived as a marketing thing, it’s not going to work.”

[benandcoblog]

Breaking Boundaries w/ Matt Collamer

Have you ever wondered how to truly master photography, or maybe even enhance your photos to look like those found in National Geographic? All it takes is practice & patience. I actually read an article not too long ago that compared two photographers shooting together, though with one big exception; one with legacy equipment and the other with modern equipment photographing the same subjects. The results? They were nearly identical. Short story is, it doesn’t really matter what camera equipment you have, as long as you go out and practice with it and learn the editing software. A Lamborghini Gallardo advertisement stated “Every Weapon Needs A Master” and this holds true with your photography gear. Buy something cheap, get used to holding it, bring it everywhere with you, take lots of photos, and keep practicing. I’m telling you, that’s what I started doing and I achieved being pretty good, though I have a lot to learn.

This Evening, I have the fantastic chance of meeting another Boston based videographer, Matt Collamer who is an absolute phenomenal practicing cinema-like photographer who strives to break boundaries.

“Paving the path of your future is a long, hard road that will take everything out of you. Stick to the route. Follow it. Eventually it will lead you to the truth of who you really are. When you inevitably stray off course, it helps to remember that wherever you are is where you’re meant to be.”

— Matt Collamer

Ben Libby: How did you get interested in photography and videography? Have you ever worked with black and white film or even super8?

Matt Collamer: I first became interested in video production when a college friend showed me how to film on a smartphone and edit in iMovie. After that, I took a few video classes, and that’s where it all started. Ever since then, I become hooked on telling stories in that medium.

Not really. It’s been almost all digital for me. I’ve used a film camera with my friend once, but it’s definitely something I’d like to try out at some point. Understanding where it all began is certainly important, especially with how much it has changed in recent years with digital photo/video and the internet. Getting back to the roots would be a worthwhile endeavor.  

BL: What’s in your current arsenal of camera equipment? Tell us the details (body, lens, accessories, travel bags, suitcases, lights, etc!)

MC: I’m currently shooting on a Sony a6500 paired with the Sony 28mm prime f/2 and the Sigma 16mm prime f/1.4 lenses. Both lenses are fantastic for both photo and video. I love the diversity of my setup. I sometimes rent a longer lens for interview shots/portrait photography (most recently: Sony 85mm f/1.8). Additional gear includes a Godox flash/trigger setup, Rode microphone and a Matin = travel camera bag. New lighting and audio gear was recently added to my never ending gear acquisition list.

BL: When you’re on a shoot, what’s your favorite subject? Are there any subjects you aren’t quite comfortable with?

MC: I’ve experimented with quite a lot of different subjects and styles of both video and photography including landscape, travel and street. Recently, I’ve gravitated towards documenting people. With video, this has taken the form of my YouTube video series highlighting forging their own path in the arts — Artists in Focus. In photography, I’ve been inspired by a group of friends who are portrait photographers. About a year ago, when I first starting shooting portraits, I had no idea what I was doing, and I felt totally uncomfortable posing people. I learned to just act confident even if you’re not. Try it. It totally works.  I still struggle with it, but I’m definitely improving.

BL: “Art is Subjective.” Do you think this is true or false? If someone said “Photo / Video is subjective.” Would you agree or disagree and why?

MC: Definitely true. Photo/Video, like any art form, is all about how you interpret it and what you decide to create out of it. You can take it any direction you decide to and express yourself through it. This philosophy is not just how I view my photo/video, but it’s the lens through which I view my life as well. If you work hard and believe in your vision, you truly can create the life you want to have.

BL: Sometimes you have to be selective of your clients, has there ever been a time where you just had to end the relationship with / without burning a bridge? (Readers love a good romance story!).

MC: I wouldn’t saying I burned a bridge with a client, but I had to be firm with them. It was uncomfortable, but they were asking for a lot more than I originally agreed to do for them. The client requested additional editing that was not outlined upfront. It was partially my fault for not being clear enough in the beginning, but I definitely got frustrated with the back and forth and the low amount of money I ended up receiving in relation to the amount of hours I put in.  It’s all part of the process though I suppose.

BL: Photography / Videography is a hard industry to get into, can you throw us advice on how to become an expert? And, if you were a photo / video recruiter, what elements in portfolios would you be most interested in from an applicant?

MC: It all comes down to hours. If you’re willing to invest the time, energy and money, you will steadily improve. Sometimes you may feel that your growth is slow and not yielding results, but you have to just keep pushing for it. There’s always areas within business and your craft that you could polish. Struggling through the inevitable challenges, pitfalls and doubts will make you more resilient. With each hour you put into your craft, you inch a tiny bit closer to becoming an expert.

Final Thoughts

Keep following that inner voice that motivates you to strive for growth and connection with yourself and people around you. Instead of viewing problems and challenges as a negative situation, try to reframe them as a chance to learn and grow as an individual. With that said, your individual growth will end up dictating how much value you can provide for the people around you. That’s what really matters.

Matt Collamer is a Boston-based filmmaker/photographer.

Through videography, photography and traveling, he has shaped a business around helping people craft their story and share their message. In early 2016, Matt launched a YouTube channel and a website dedicated to this philosophy. Shortly after this, he moved to Korea to teach English to middle school students. While in Korea, Matt was able to immerse himself into the culture and learn about the world and himself in the process. After his one-year contract ended, he backpacked Southeast Asia for four months before returning home to America. Matt is now back in the Boston area and continuing to grow his business and serve others with his skills and passion.

You may view and follow Matt's social media below.

Website

Instagram

YouTube

[ges-sa]

Cosplayer Of The Month May 2017 | Black Lily Cosplay

New Post has been published on http://ges-sa.com/cosplayer-of-the-month-may-2017-black-lily-cosplay/

Cosplayer Of The Month May 2017 | Black Lily Cosplay

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”25375″ img_size=”large” alignment=”right” style=”vc_box_circle”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”25385,25384,25380,25379,25378,25377,25376,25374″][vc_column_text]Welcome to our May 2017 edition of the GES-SA Cosplayer Of The Month! The winter weather has set in good and proper over the last couple of days but do not fear, we’ve got another HOT Cosplayer to introduce to you guys this month! Black Lily Cosplay hails from Cape Town and we’re very keen to find out a bit more about her and her cosplay journey so far….[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Hi there lady! Tell us a bit more about the person behind the cosplay persona?

Hello! My name is Zayaan aka Blake. I’m a junior graphic designer and PR assistant with an honours degree in Fine Arts. I. LOVE. ANIME! I have an unhealthy cat, RWBY and mahou shojo obsession. If you ever want to bribe me, please do so with pocky, ice cream and chocolate (not guaranteeing that it will work, but you can try)

How and when did you get started in Cosplay and why do you enjoy it?

I was formally introduced to cosplay in 2014 by Bea, one of our cosplay CT admins, and was then quickly adopted into a group of friends by Yamaki, Rei-kitty and Michi Tenshi. I have been cosplaying ever since. I enjoy cosplay because it gives me the opportunity to be creative while bringing a character to life. It also gives me the opportunity to be other people and live different lives. It gives me freedom from my shy, anxious, normal self.

Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of cosplaying? If yes, please tell us more about it

I love baking all the yummy things! I also enjoy designing my own characters that are inspired by games and anime.

We all know that cosplay has been become a very expensive hobby these days, do you have hints or tips for other cosplayers as far as cutting down expenses etc are concerned?

Do NOT buy all the fabrics T^T I do this waaaay too often. I often use cheaper fabric or hunt for things on sale. Sale things are your friends!! With props I use cheaper materials like cardboard and foam where I can. I tend to plan my cosplays 2-3 months in advance so I can either bargain hunt or I can save up for things I really want but can’t buy in one shot.

What is the one thing that you try and avoid when making a new costume?

Last minute expenses. Because those are evil and stressful. I try very hard to buy fabric in the correct amount but I either land up with too much or too little. Not sure how that happens. Also, last minute paint jobs are the worst because my eyesight is crappy at night and night time + painting = NOPE.

Every Cosplayer has a favourite part of creating a costume or something they are really good at, what is yours?

Pleated skirts! I looooove making pleated skirts. But as of late I’ve been enjoying making digital templates for props too.

Tell us about your most epic fail ever, whilst crafting a cosplay costume

It’s difficult to choose between not being able to mix paint colours to save my life and hooking the lining when I’m sewing. Both of these tend to be running gags with every single cosplay I make. However, I ran into a major issue while making my badge for Captain Amari Ana and it took me 5 tries of vinyl printing and sleeve patterning to get it right. That was about 4 hours of frustration over a little sleeve.

Which character do you consider to be your Holy Grail of cosplays?

At the moment, definitely my Captain Amari Ana (Overwatch). I have never felt so proud of one of my creations and I absolutely loved becoming her. A big thank you to Lynzaykat for pushing me to make her XD

Which international con would you really love to go to and why?

RTX! Basically because I love the RWBY series with all my heart. I’ve sorta become associated with the character of Blake Belladonna within cosplay and I would love to meet the team that brought her to life, along with meeting the cast of the series.

South Africa’s convention scene has been growing leaps and bounds over the last couple of years. Do you have any tips for the other cosplayers as to how to stay comfortable throughout the day?

To all the newer cosplayers, start off simple. We all started somewhere and I often see that newer cosplayers end up disappointing themselves when their cosplays don’t come out as they envisioned. Stay hydrated and bring snacks. Food and water is super important. Bring a fan along to keep cool if you’re going to be outside. If you’re wearing heels, pack in a pair of flat shoes to change into.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”25372″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1445504261410border-top-width: 3px !important;border-top-color: #aa71e2 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Cosplayer Bio

Real name Zayaan Farouk Cosplay name Black Lily Cosplay Age 24 Current home town Cape Town

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Find Black Lily Cosplay On Social Media

Facebook Black Lily Cosplay Instagram @blacklilycosplay Twitter @BlakeLilium WorldCosplay.net RitsuNemuru

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Cosplayer Roulette

My favorite anime/manga is (choose one)

Naruto / Dragon Ball Z / Sailor Moon / Fullmetal Alchemist

Sailor Moon

Why do you like this particular title?

Magical girls hold a very special place in my heart. When I was younger I would always want to “be like that”: a young woman with magical powers and a strong sense of justice. Who says you can’t be pretty and also kick ass?

My favorite platform to watch or experience my favorite titles is (choose one)

Movies / TV Series / Books / Comics

TV Series

Complete the sentence: I want to run after them and tell them that……

they’re perfect no matter what anyone else says.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”25373″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Pictures were supplied to GES-SA by the featured Cosplayer. We do not own these pictures so if you do, and you would like to us to add the credit please drop us a mail to linda@ges-sa.com

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]